Red Wine Sautéed Mushrooms

I have a small patio at my apartment that I continuously try to grow food on, which I never forget to water despite my bouts of plant specific amnesia. Some of my plants have survived the last few months better than others. One of the ones that has thrived through the under-watering and the 100 degree plus days is my luscious rosemary bush.

Unfortunately, due to rosemary's strong earthy flavor, I rarely find ways to use it during the warm months. Thus I have nurtured this plant for almost a year and used it for nary a dish seasoned. So today I decided to take advantage of the (not quite) winter weather, trim back the plant and rectify this injustice.

I ended up pairing the rosemary with mushrooms and red wine. The end result was a pleasant, hardy and healthy side dish for a chilly evening.

Red Wine Sautéed Mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, washed and quartered or halved depending on size
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and minced
1/3 cup red wine
salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until shallot begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook covered until the mushrooms have sweated out their liquid, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Uncover and raise the heat to high. Stir in the rosemary and cook the mushrooms until they are brown and the liquid has cooked off. Add the wine and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste.