Mushroom Basics

• Mushrooms are an outstanding companion to steaks, for a couple of reasons. The first is their chewy, meaty texture. It complements the steak's own texture, but it's just different enough to provide a pleasant contrast. The mushrooms also contain extra moisture, giving the impression of a juicier steak when they're served together. Mushrooms are also a powerful source of flavor-enhancing substances including glutamates and guanosine monophosphate, which accentuate the flavors of the beef and make them taste more savory. The delicate flavors of some mushrooms are overwhelmed by the beef, so choose neutral or strongly flavored mushrooms.

Shiitake

• Shiitake mushrooms are a strong choice with steaks, both for their dense and chewy texture and their complex, meaty, smoky flavor. That flavor's caused by an enzyme in the mushrooms, which becomes concentrated when they are slow-cooked or dried. Reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms in a small amount of hot water and saute them in butter to accompany your steak, or slice fresh shiitake and cook them over a low heat in butter with a small amount of diced onion. Either fresh or reconstituted, they'll make an excellent accompaniment to your steak.

Portobello and Cremini

• Portobello and Cremini mushrooms are brown-capped mushrooms that are generally easy to find in supermarkets. Cremini closely resemble common white button mushrooms, but have a richer, meatier flavor. Portobellos are the same mushroom, allowed to grow for several more days until they reach diameters of up to 4 or 5 inches. Portobellos have a stronger flavor than Creminis because of their maturity, and their size means they can be sliced into extra-large, meaty strips for grilling or pan-frying along with the steak.

Porcini

• Porcini, also known as cepes or boletes, are among the most prized wild mushrooms. They grow wild across Europe and North America, but aren't easy to grow commercially. This means they're more costly than domesticated mushrooms, and are usually sold dried. That's not a bad thing, because drying concentrates their rich, meaty flavors. Reconstitute them in a small amount of hot water, then pan-fry them in butter with a few onions as an accompaniment for your steak. Save or freeze the water you use to reconstitute your dried mushrooms, because it adds a strong mushroom flavor to sauces or soups.

Button Mushrooms

• Button mushrooms bring no strong flavor of their own to a steak, but are just as adept as any other mushroom at accentuating the flavor of the beef. They have the additional advantages of being inexpensive and plentiful, and available almost everywhere. They can be pan-fried in a small amount of oil or butter, or sprayed with oil and grilled on a skewer to accompany your steak. To concentrate and bring out their natural flavor, try pan-searing them in a hot, dry skillet until they release their moisture and develop a golden-brown color.