When my son became a little pickier, as children often do, around the age of 5, I racked my brain to come up with recipes. I made him my mom’s favorites, my early favorites—pretty much anything he would accept. Watching Jacques one day, I saw him making a recipe for Chicken Persillade. That was it! As soon as I saw it, I knew Zach would LOVE it. And sure enough, 8 years later it’s still his favorite. This is an ode to that recipe; made almost exactly the same, except swapping any combination of mushrooms for chicken, and adding a little Spanish sherry and Aleppo pepper flakes.

 

Thank you Jacques for feeding my son and all of us, so much knowledge, passion and love.

Mushroom Persillade

Category

Category name

Serves

4

Mushroom Persillade

Ingredients

  • 4 cups oyster mushrooms, broken apart into ½ to 1-inch pieces
  • 4 cups royal trumpet mushrooms, cut in half and scored
  • 2 cups shitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut into quarters
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Large pinch Aleppo pepper flakes
  • A splash of dry Spanish sherry, like Manzanilla or Amontillado
  • ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • Crunchy Gremolata (recipe follows)

Method

  1. Combine all of the mushrooms in a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Once the butter foams, add the mushrooms and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms have released their liquid, stir in another tablespoon of butter to melt, then the garlic followed by the Aleppo pepper. Continue to cook until the mushrooms turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes more. Pour in the sherry, stirring until it has reduced and coats the mushrooms. Stir in the parsley and the remaining tablespoon of butter, and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the gremolata and serve.

Gremolata

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
  • ⅓ cup very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic, season with salt and a small pinch of pepper, and let toast until fragrant, about 1minute. Stir in the panko and toast until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest.