here is my entry recipe using exactly three ingredients:
champignons, butter and sage.
champignons sauteed in sage butter
now that may sound simple enough but i am using a particularly delicious wild species of champignon Agaricus arvensis in english known as horse mushroom because they is often found in horse pastures. don't let the name put you off, these are among the tastiest of all mushrooms.
the first thing to do is go out and find them. luckily this season they are quite common locally. while they can occur in large rings in horse pastures they are also common enough in parks, though likely not in the same numbers.
if you know the taste of these the sight of them gives a little thrill every time
and as you cut them you begin to feel your mouth salivating. these are a good size even though they haven't opened yet. when they are young like these they in their prime and far less likely to have any bugs inside. just a few more and that should be enough.
after brushing and cutting away any dirt i slice them about 3 mm thick.
all together it is about 200 g mushrooms. now i have to go in the garden to pick the sage.
this late in the season and this far north the sage has a very pleasant mild taste that will compliment but in no way detract from the exquisite taste of the champignons.
and now for the butter. this is a special kind of norwegian butter churned the old fashioned way from sour cream. it has an amazing full flavor and is more salty than normal sweet butter so i am not adding any salt during cooking.
now for the cooking
melt the butter in an iron skillet and add the sage. cook over low heat a couple of minutes.
then add the sliced mushrooms, and carefully stir occasionally. the mushrooms will give off quite a bit of water which i remove underway with a spoon and save. continue cooking until mushrooms are done to satisfaction. if you like them crisp just cook until nicely browned, making sure to turn them all to avoid burning.
this is a fantastic side dish, a great case of less is more.
here i just surrounded them with a sliced tomato from the garden and they are ready to serve