(WWTI) – This tasty food is a fungus and comes in a diverse range of flavors with some even being poisonous, today is National Mushroom Day.

Portobello, shiitake, button, truffle… honestly there’s too many to list. If you don’t already know, mushrooms are fungi, and there’s a variety of species. They’re not only a staple in a vegetarian’s diet due to their nutritious value and hearty consistency but they also make a delicious side dish for a juicy piece of steak.

A fun fact about Button mushrooms, portobello mushrooms and white mushrooms is that they are the same mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, just at different stages of maturity. As any fine diner might know mushrooms can get pricey, a white truffle weighing 3.3 pounds, was purchased for $330,000.

Food & Wine has the recipe for Pork Loin Braised with Mushrooms and Wine:

Ingredients:

  • 1 (2-pound) boneless center-cut pork loin, tied with kitchen twine
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-pound white button mushrooms, quartered
  • 8 small white spring onions (about 10 ounces), trimmed, white parts only
  • 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) Corsican Muscat wine
  • 1 cup lower-sodium chicken stock
  • 3 rosemary sprigs
  • 6 thyme sprigs
  • 8 (3-inch) orange peel strips
  • Cooked polenta, for serving

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high.
  2. Add pork to pan; cook over medium-high, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn pork. Repeat until each side is browned, about 12 minutes. Remove pork from the skillet and set aside.
  3. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to pan; cook over medium-high, stirring often, until liquid from mushrooms has released and evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add stock, rosemary, and thyme; cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Return pork to pan. Cover, transfer to a preheated oven, and roast until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of meat registers 130°F, about 30 minutes.
  4. Remove pan from oven. Transfer pork to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add orange peel strips to the mushroom mixture in a pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high; boil until sauce has slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Discard orange peel strips, rosemary, and thyme.
  5. Remove and discard twine from pork. Slice pork against the grain. Serve over polenta with mushroom mixture.

Happy National Mushroom Day!