Mushrooms with leeks as a side dish

Leeks. First, cut off the white end or root, about 1-2 centimeters. The larger the leek, the more you cut off. If you see dry, damaged leaves - just remove them and discard. Then it needs to be thoroughly washed, because all the dirt and sand in the leek is collected under the leaves, which tightly overlap each other, between the white and the green. The easiest way is to cut it in half and rinse it thoroughly. Usually, only the white, tender part of the leek is used in dishes. But I always use the whole leek. For example, in this garnish, the white part and part of the green stem will be used. Half of the green leaves have already been cut off (that's how I bought it), but if this was my own leek from the garden, I would cut off half of the greens and use it for broth, soup, etc. Just if the leek is large, then the top, green stems become quite tough and even slightly bitter, so they are cut off and sold in stores without them. But you can hardly grow such a giant size of leek on your own garden... Well, I haven't been able to for 10 years now :). So, rinse and slice the leek into semi-circles.

Mushrooms. In this dish, I always use champignon mushrooms. Since they are small in size, I only cut the ones that seemed larger to me. If the mushrooms are fresh, their caps are completely white, and the cap tightly fits the stem, and the characteristic skirt is hardly visible. In fact, even if it is large, it is not necessary to remove it - it is just as edible as the mushroom itself. It's purely an aesthetic desire, so if you want, you can remove it, if not, then don't. Thoroughly wash the mushrooms, removing any soil particles and trimming, so to speak, freshening the cut of the mushroom. If the stem is thin and too long, partially or completely trim it. Do not soak and wash them for too long, as they have a tendency to absorb moisture, which we don't need.

Place a frying pan over medium heat and add equal parts of butter and vegetable oil. Let them melt and add the mushrooms. Be careful not to use high heat as the butter will burn. Let the mushrooms cook, stirring occasionally. After some time, you will notice that they start to release a lot of moisture. Once they begin to simmer more than fry, turn up the heat to high. Cook the mushrooms for approximately 10 minutes.

Next, add the remaining butter and vegetable oil to the pan with the mushrooms, along with the chopped leek. Cook and stir for another 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Peel and mince the garlic or use a garlic press. Towards the end of the cooking process, add the garlic and finely chopped parsley. If you have frozen parsley, you can use it, or you can omit this ingredient altogether.

Now, it's time for the wine. Don't just use any cheap wine. The wine adds aroma, so it should be a good quality wine that you enjoy drinking. After adding the wine, let it cook on high heat for a couple of minutes. I repeat, the alcohol will evaporate, leaving only the aroma. Now, pour in the cream. If you use low-fat cream, it might curdle due to the presence of wine. Therefore, use a heavy cream with at least 36% fat. Finally, add the seasonings - salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg, which adds a great flavor to this dish. Stir everything together and simmer for a couple of minutes, allowing the cream to thicken. After a few minutes, taste the dish and add more salt if needed.

When you notice that the amount of cream has reduced significantly, turn off the heat. The dish is now ready. Just before turning off the heat, I like to add another clove of minced garlic for extra aroma, but this is optional. As mentioned earlier, this side dish pairs well with chicken, especially chicken breast. Simply cook the chicken and serve it with the creamy mushrooms - it's delicious! Another option is to quickly sauté strips or pieces of white chicken meat for a couple of minutes and add them to the pan with the cream. In just a few minutes, the dish will be ready! In this case, it goes well with fluffy mashed potatoes or fluffy rice.