Creamy Dill Mushroom Sauce
Warm, tangy, herby. Tender mushrooms in a dill and cream sauce, poured over potatoes, buckwheat, or bread. Deeply comforting.
TENDER · The mushroom is cooked soft, simmered or braised, no crisp.
Mushrooms in sour cream, gribi v smetane, is the Russian national mushroom dish. Madeira and dill are the signatures. Cashews and lemon stand in for the tang of the smetana.
Makes about two cups.
- 10 oz Oyster or Lion's Mane mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Madeira or dry sherry
- One third cup raw cashews, soaked and blended smooth with half a cup water
- Large handful fresh dill, chopped
- Squeeze of lemon
- Salt and black pepper
- 01
Heat a pan over medium high, dry. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their water, it cooks off, and they turn golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the oil for the last minute.
- 02
Add onion, cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic, 30 seconds.
- 03
Pour in the Madeira, reduce by half.
- 04
Lower the heat. Stir in the cashew cream and warm gently, do not boil.
- 05
Off the heat, stir in most of the dill and the lemon. Blend together and season, finish with fresh dill.
- Over boiled or mashed potatoes.
- Over buckwheat or rice.
- On dark rye toast.
The dill is the point, so do not be shy, and always add some fresh at the very end. Madeira is what makes it taste Russian; sherry is the closest easy substitute.
