Mushrooms al ajillo with Guajillo
Mushrooms taste like a party when you work them with garlic and chile.
Nutrition info
Approximate values per serving.
Ajillo is one of the great discoveries of Mexican cooking: golden garlic in oil with dried chile. When you add mushrooms, things get serious. This is food for a spoon, for a tortilla, or for eating alone by the fire.
Preparation
- 01
Prep the chiles
Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo chiles. Cut them into thin strips with scissors. Set aside.
4 Guajillo chiles, seeded, in thin strips - 02
Slice the garlic
Cut the garlic into thin slices, almost translucent. If you cut it thick, it burns before it browns.
8 cloves of Garlic, in thin slices - 03
Start the ajillo
Heat the oil over medium-low in the skillet. Add the garlic. Cook it slow, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until golden but not dark.
80 ml of Olive oil, or avocado oil8 cloves of Garlic, in thin slices - 04
Add the chiles
Add the guajillo strips. Cook another 30 seconds, just until they soften slightly and release their aroma. DON'T burn them, they turn bitter.
4 Guajillo chiles, seeded, in thin strips - 05
Sauté the mushrooms
Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the mushrooms in batches if your skillet is small, don't crowd them. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes until they color and release some of their water.
500 g of Fresh mushrooms, oyster, king trumpet, or whatever you have, in strips - 06
Finish and serve
Turn off the heat. Season with salt. Squeeze the lime over top. Sprinkle cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas.
1 tsp of Sea saltLime, juice of half, to finishFresh chopped cilantro, for servingWarm corn tortillas, to serve alongside
Ajillo is made in WARM oil, not hot. If the oil smokes when you add the garlic, it burns in seconds. Warm oil plus patience equals golden, sweet garlic.
How we eat it at the farm
- In tacos with warm corn tortillas and a squeeze of lime
- Over white rice as a main dish
- As a side to roast beef or grilled fish
- Cold, the next day, on toasted bread
Change something, it's still yours
No spice
Skip the guajillo chile. The ajillo is still delicious on its own.
With white wine
Before the mushrooms, deglaze the skillet with 50 ml dry white wine. Adds depth.
With cheese
Finish with 50 g crumbled panela or feta cheese on top.
