One Pan: Turkish Sautéed Mushrooms with Allspice and Sage

I borrowed a Turkish cookbook and found this easy sautéed mushrooms recipe using only one pan. It’s perfect as a quick side dish, crusty bread topping, or part of a light lunch.

Many Turkish dishes present sweetness but this one does not. It’s savoury and herby – I particularly like the mixed herbs here: allspice, coriander, sage, and parsley. To me, it’s a great way to use up the long-sitting allspice since meat is not prominent in our little household. I didn’t know mushrooms go well with allspice until now.

Cooking Notes

• Herbs and spices: Whole spices and fresh herbs are called for in the cookbook, but I used ground and dried when I didn’t have other options. As a rule of thumb, be more generous and cook longer when using ground and dried since their aroma takes time to release.
• Fry or sauté: Some Turks fry the mushrooms till browned so as to make the dish dry. I prefer a healthier approach and don’t mind a little mushroom juice – they are good to be mopped with some crusty bread.
• Volume up: Mushrooms shrink after cooking, so I added avocado and boiled baby potatoes to the mushrooms for a light lunch.

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Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe

Even though you’re short of allspice and sage, it is still delicious as the mushrooms original flavour shines through. But don’t forget the lemon juice to lift up the whole dish.

Ingredients

Serves 1-2

• 200 g button mushrooms
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dried sage
• 1 small handful of parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• lemon for squeezing

How to Make

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat, then add garlic to cook until fragrant.
2. Stir in the mushrooms with allspice, coriander, and sage. Add a little bit more of oil/butter if it looks too dry.
3. Cover with a lid and let cook for a few minutes, stir occasionally. You’ll notice the mushrooms release a certain amount of water
4. While the water reduce to half, season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Fold in the chopped parsley and turn off the heat.
5. Freshly squeeze in some lemon juice before serving.