Mushroom Puree
Serves 1 cup
Total Time:
I really prefer to use a home-made stock to a commercial one, because store-bought stocks are so salty. And because it’s faster, easier, and very flexible, the broth I usually make is a vegetable one, rather than a beef or chicken stock.
That means, however, that sometimes I’m missing the savory, meat-y flavor called umami in a recipe. Umami is found in ingredients like meats, hard cheeses, tomatoes, fermented foods, and green tea. Another great source is mushrooms. So, if a recipe calls for beef stock, but I only have vegetable stock on hand, I’ll add a teaspoon or two of mushroom puree, and it tastes great.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms of your choice (if you use a mushroom with a tough stem, remove stem first)
- 2 ½ cups water
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring mushrooms and water to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer approximately 15 minutes, until mushrooms are tender.
- Spoon the mushrooms into your blender or food processor cup, preferably using a slotted spoon.
- Strain the liquid through a layer of paper of towel placed in a sieve, into your blender cup.
- Refrigerate tightly covered for up to one week. Alternately, freeze teaspoonfuls in your ice cube tray, to keep for up to three months.
Last Updated: October 8, 2018
Originally Published: March 30, 2017
