Food has a funny way of bringing back memories. Fried mushrooms are nothing new and, for many, are not anything particularly special. For me, though, they will always remind of the trips to my wife’s parents’ house when we were in college. Of course, now that I’m doing most of the cooking, I’m definitely going to change things up a little…always for the better!
My wife and I met at VA Tech. GO HOKIES!! This was before I joined the Army…I was struggling in school, my parents were in Israel, and I was, generally, having a hard time of it. I’ve never exactly been certain of what Beth saw in me, but I’m sure glad she saw it! About a month after we met, she invited me to her home for Thanksgiving and to meet her parents. She drove, since I didn’t have a car at the time, and I was excited, but I definitely had my misgivings. A normal guy would meet his girlfriend’s parents for the first time in the couple of minutes picking her up for a date or over dinner one evening.
This guy here signed up for a week long visit with no escape route! There’s a fine line between brave and dumb and I was straddling it!
So we met them at this little pizza place, George’s, right outside of Fredericksburg, VA. They ordered pizza, Greek salad, and fried mushrooms. Who was I to argue? One thing was for sure. You had to fight to get one of those mushrooms!
Well, all of my fears were relieved as I was welcomed in like family and I instantly fell in love with all of them. As I began to visit more frequently, I learned one of the reasons that those fried mushrooms were such a hit. The standing tradition is that you always get an extra order of mushrooms. That extra order is for the pickup crew and they get to split it on the way home. Since Beth’s “Welcome Home” dinner was usually pizza from George’s, I quickly began anticipating that stop on the way home. It was a long drive, but that crispy breading and the impossibly hot meatiness of that mushroom made the drive worth it!
Even now, if fried mushrooms are on the menu, Beth and I will probably order them. Every now and then, though, I break out the fryer and surprise her with a fresh, hot batch right at home. I tend towards a thinner, tempura style batter that cuts down on the breading and makes the mushroom shine through a little more. They are a little different than George’s, but they are just as tasty and they still keep that memory alive.
How are you keeping your food memories alive? Leave a comment and share your stories.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2-21/2 cups club soda
- 4 cups whole white button and baby bella mushrooms
- oil, for frying
- Pour oil to fill line in a fryer or fill a large, heavy pot halfway with oil. Heat to 350.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine first 6 ingredients.
- Pour in 2 cups club soda, whisking until all of the dry ingredients are moistened, adding more club soda as needed to create a thin batter.
- In 3-4 batches, coat the mushrooms completely in batter and place into the hot oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the batter is a light golden brown.
- Remove from the oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and serve right away with a side of ranch dressing.
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