mushroom stock

Mushroom Stock, like any other stock, is about as simple a thing you can do as any other in the kitchen.  I made two different kinds, in one pot I sautéed the mushrooms first, in the I just boiled the mushrooms.  Afterwards I jarred the stock so it'll keep for a while.  Both were good but in the end I think the stock from the mushrooms I didn't sauté was better, the sautéed mushrooms produced a muddy looking stock that wasn't as rich in flavor.  

The one untested caveat is that when I make risotto with either of these stocks, I suspect the sautéed stock will be better, I've made risotto with vegetable, chicken and beef stock and the vegetable stock tends to create a less creamy risotto due to the lack of fat content.  There's olive oil in the sautéed mushroom stock so I suspect that will be better for risotto.  Only time will tell.

Also I used cheap-o crimini mushrooms this time because it was my first time and until I get a better hang of the technique I'm not going to use anything more expensive.  Feel free to use whatever you want, but I'd suggest you learn with what is cheap, then show off to others with the fancy stuff once you're good at it.

Mushroom Stock

1 lb crimini mushrooms

2 tbs salt (plus more to taste)

3 quarts (96 oz) water

Sautéed Mushroom Stock

1 lb crimini mushrooms

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs salt (plus more to taste)

3 quarts water

Infrastructure

1 big knife

1 cutting board

1 pot (or 2 if you want to take the Pepsi challenge and try both out)

2 1-quart (32 oz) mason jars

Process

- Halve and slice mushrooms.  Or chop mushrooms coarsely and don't mind that their different sizes.  it's probably inconsequential.

- For straight stock, combine mushrooms, salt and water

- Bring to a boil then drop down to medium-low (3.5 on a 1-10 burner) so that the water is simmering

- For sautéed broth, after chopping the mushrooms, heat olive oil to high

- Add salt and sauté mushrooms until soft (or about half the size they were initially)

- Bring to a boil then drop down to medium-low (3.5 on a 1-10 burner) so that the water is simmering

- Set a timer for two hours, stir, taste and throw in another dash of salt if you think it necessary

- Set a timer for one and a half hours and repeat.

- At this point you could keep simmering but three and a half hours should be enough.  The flavor of the stock should be rich, you may need to salt a little more for the flavor to pop.

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The Fountain (soundtrack) - Clint Mansell
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My Head is an Animal - Of Monsters and Men