24 February 2010 | 20 Comments

Funghi trifolati (Sautéed Mushrooms)

This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:

Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.

I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.

NOTES: In Italy, the typical mushroom for this dish would be porcini. But I find these methods work with every kind of mushroom I’ve tried. Even the rather wan ‘button’ mushrooms seems to develop some lovely flavor when made this way. If using garlic, you can add it slightly crushed, chopped or still in its jacket, depending on the result you are looking for: chopping will give you the most assertive garlic flavor (but be careful to avoid burning the garlic); leaving the jacket, of course, produces the most subtle effect (just remember to remove the garlic before serving); personally, I like the ‘middle way’ of using a peeled and slightly crushed garlic clove (which, by the way, I don’t remove unless company is coming).

Some recipes call for covering the pan and braising the mushrooms in some liquid (eg, white wine) for 15 minutes or more after an initial sauté over gentle rather than lively heat, but I prefer the methods mentioned here. The mushrooms are perfectly tender after an initial sauté over high heat, and indeed tend to become mushy if you let them cook too long.

Funghi trifolati, in either version, makes for a great Fall or Winter contorno with just about any meat dish. It can also be added to stews, fricasées and sautés. (It’s particularly nice with sautéed chicken.)

With a little additional oil or butter, funghi trifolati make a wonderful sauce for pasta or gnocchi or even polenta, just by itself (see this post on strozzapreti ai funghi and the photo of linguine ai funghi above) or in combination with tomatoes (see this post on penne ai funghi) or, particularly in the ‘refined’ version, with the addition of broth and/or cream that you then reduce down to a nice saucy consistency (see this post on gnocchi ai funghi). The latter mushroom cream sauce is wonderful with meat also, as in this post on gratinéed ox tongue.

It’s really up to you—this dish is a starting point for all sorts of creativity in the kitchen.

Tags: Fall, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, Winter

Categories: contorno

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20 Comments on “Funghi trifolati (Sautéed Mushrooms)”

Reply

sdsanta

26 January 2013 at 16:55 #

I love to do mushrooms like this! Sometimes I will spread a little soft goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top them with some of these mushrooms for a great, easy crostini.
Reply

Ruth

28 February 2010 at 15:24 #

I love the simplicity of this. A bit like garlic mushrooms but with parsley that just takes it up to an entirely new level!! Im going to try this with porcini with some linguini!!
Reply

Cookin' Canuck

27 February 2010 at 23:20 #

You are killing me! I can practically taste these mushrooms and – oh my – do they ever taste good!
Reply

NibblesandVittles.com

26 February 2010 at 23:28 #

this is one of my favorites! I adore onions and mushrooms sautees as well. I must eat this 4 times a week minimum. yum!
Reply

Danielle

25 February 2010 at 23:52 #

i love mushrooms…any way I can get them. thanks for tips and variations for sauteing
Reply

Kat

25 February 2010 at 19:17 #

This is the only way to eat mushrooms, as far as I'm concerned. YUM!
Reply

The Chef In My Head

25 February 2010 at 13:07 #

This has to be one of the world's easiest and tastiest dishes ever. ~LeslieMichele
Reply

Joy

25 February 2010 at 04:01 #

Yum, yum! There is NO better way to cook mushrooms!
Reply

pegasuslegend

24 February 2010 at 20:30 #

some great info, and mushrooms are great any time of day…love this dish looks fantastic!
Reply

Drick

24 February 2010 at 19:03 #

a great lesson on cooking mushrooms and another fine read
Reply

Ms Bibi

24 February 2010 at 16:07 #

I remember my hubs grandma making Funghi trifolati.

I like cooking with mushrooms.
Reply

Claudia

24 February 2010 at 14:36 #

I love how versatile this is – stand alone, add cream, throw in pasta, throw in rice – you cannot go wrong with funghi!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | BEAUTY ART | Scoop.it - 25 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | Savor the Flavor | Scoop.it - 25 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | Vegetarian cookery | Scoop.it - 24 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | Max's Snax | Scoop.it - 24 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi trifolati – Sautéed Mushrooms « goodthingsfromitaly - 24 January 2013
[...] See on memoriediangelina.com [...]
Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | La Cucina Italiana - De Italiaanse Keuken - The Italian Kitchen | Scoop.it - 24 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi trifolati - Sautéed Mushrooms | Le Marche and Food | Scoop.it - 24 January 2013
[...] This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are equally easy:Using the traditional recipe (pictured above), you thinly slice your mushrooms, then sauté them over a lively flame in olive oil and a clove of garlic. (If you want a little heat, you can add a peperoncino or some red pepper flakes.) Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt right away—this will cause the mushroom to exude its juices. In just a few minutes, the juices will evaporate and you will begin to hear the mushrooms start to sizzle and lightly brown. Once that happens, add some finely chopped parsley and, if you like, freshly ground pepper, and serve.I also like to use a more ‘refined’ variation: you sauté the mushroom slices in a mixture of olive oil and butter (omitting the garlic) and when you get to the sizzling stage, add finely chopped shallot and parsley. Sauté a minute or two further to cook the shallot and serve.Read More [...]
Funghi in pastella (Mushroom Fritters) | Memorie di Angelina - 25 November 2012
[...] oil with the garlic and parsley, and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper, as if you were making funghi trifolati. (Be sparing with the oil.) Let [...]