Ever wonder what to do with all of those mushroom stems they tell you to cut off and “reserve for another use”? Here are a few suggestions:
– Before putting stems in the freezer, slice them and squeeze them dry in a plain napkin. Do so by drawing the napkin up and around the stems, twisting the napkin until you have a tightly wrapped ball. Keep twisting the napkin until the mushroom juices run out. When done, open the napkin, and you will have a pile of mushrooms that will freeze better because there is less water in them to make them soggy when they thaw. Store in a zipper-lock bag in the freezer for no longer than three months. Also, freeze the juice and add it back to the mushrooms when cooking.
– Mash together three parts finely chopped, cooked stems with one part roasted garlic. Serve as a pate with crusts of bread or put under steak just before serving.
– Cook stems with caramelized onions and use the mixture in omelets.
– Finely chopped stems are an important ingredient in vegetable stock.
– Add diced stems to ready-made cream of mushroom soup.
– Chopped stems stretch ground beef and add moisture and flavor to meat loaf and chili.
