Mushrooms – Grow. Cook. Eat.

September 19, 2011

The Bright Spot (Recipe: Creamed Mushrooms)

Without question, Hurricane Irene wrecked havoc all along the East Coast. People died, farms flooded and roads washed away. And with Tropical Storm Lee having come up on her heels, the land is slow to recover.

At Even’ Star Farm, the effects are not overtly obvious. Sure, as you drive down Far Cry Road, you see a few remnants of fallen trees. But the green houses are in-tact and the barn is still standing.

The real impact is evidenced in the fields. While still alive, the tomato plants have stopped producing. The fruit is cracked and ugly. The only summer crops still producing are the eggplants, peppers and sweet potatoes. And it will be many weeks before the fall crops reach peak production.

The bright spot can be found in the woods… behind the north fields. Under the damp brush of fallen trees and decomposing leaves are the mushrooms. Pounds and pounds of glorious mushrooms… Honey Cap, Shiitake, Black Trumpets, Golden Chanterelles and the beloved Porcinis.

After the daily chores are done, with a few more hours of daylight, Brett and I venture into the woods. Despite the attack of mosquitoes (I will spare the photos of my red-pocked arms), Brett is buoyed by the expanse of mushrooms.

Porcinis…

Honey Mushrooms…

Chanterelles…

The mushrooms are inspected on site. If they are not suitable for consumption, either bug infested, slightly rotten or of a bitter variety, Brett perches them on a log so they can continue to spread their spores and propagate the woods with more fungi. Even the non-edible varities, he treats in this manner to keep the ecosystem in balance.

When we returned to the house, Brett said to me, “You must be really dedicated to your blog to stop and take photos when the mosquitoes are chowing on you.” Indeed. And this is not nearly as bad as the time we were mushrooming and I walked through a tick nest. When I took off my shoes, I found THOUSANDS of ticks covering my feet. I can assure you, I will never hear me quibble at the price of wild mushrooms. And you shouldn’t either.

Creamed Mushrooms
1 tbs. butter
1 1/2 lb. wild mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tbs. sliced garlic
1 cup cream
1 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 bunch thyme
2 tbs. cognac
Salt pepper and lemon juice to taste

Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add butter. Sauté mushroom, garlic and shallots. Add cognac, and reduce before adding the cream and 2 tsp. chopped thyme. Reduce by half. Stir in mustard. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

October 4, 2010

Power Foods (Recipe: Pomegranate Vinaigrette)

The FTC recently filed a complaint against POM Wonderful for the health claims it makes. Perhaps, this will put a crimp in POM’s sales, but it certainly didn’t stop me from making a wonderful dinner of Roasted Swordfish with Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Whether POM’s health claims are true or not, I would argue it’s better than many of the dietary supplements available on the market. And when I served it with beets and kale – the most nutritionally dense food per calorie available, I knew I had a healthy meal.

Pomegranates and portobellos pair wonderfully with the combination of sweet and earthy flavors. The swordfish was a perfect vehicle to transport the flavor – meaty enough to keep its presence known but with minimal flavor competition.

In the past, when I’ve made the pomegranate vinaigrette, I squeezed my own – taking fresh pomegranates, cutting them in quarters and then squeezing the juice out with a potato ricer.

This time, I lazily just purchased bottled juice. The vinaigrette is thickened with cooked beets – which mirror the flavors of the pomegranates and mushrooms.

I served the sauce and 'shrooms with roasted swordfish, but you could also serve it with lamb or salmon. Or just toss some arugula with the mushrooms and vinaigrette for a bright fall salad.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1 small beet, cooked until exceedingly tender
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 small shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautéed Mushrooms
2 tbs. butter
3 portobello mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 small shallot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 – 2 sprigs thyme
¼ cup dry sherry
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add butter. When butter is melted, and mushrooms. Cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add shallots and garlic. Sprinkle thyme on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes more. Add sherry and let reduce. Set aside.

September 2, 2010

Chanterelle-Corn Succotash

Even though I have plenty of vegetables in the garden, I’m in need a little more diversity in my diet. A trip to Russo’s rectified the situation and gave me inspiration for another meal.

Of course, I picked up corn – at peak sweetness, who could resist! And as I scanned the mushrooms, I noticed beautiful coral colored chanterelles: plump and dry, I knew they were fresh. I snatched a half a pound of those too.

When I got home, I opted for a variation on succotash, using the meaty mushrooms in place of the more traditional squash. It makes a lovely accompaniment to roast chicken or burgers.

Chanterelle Corn Succotash
1 – 2 tbs. butter
½ pound chanterelle mushrooms, cut in half or quarters (depending on how large they are)
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
2 – 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 large tomato, diced
¼ cup dry sherry
5 – 6 leaves basil, chiffonade
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add half the butter. Let it melt and then add the mushrooms, sprinkling the shallots and garlic on top. Season with salt and pepper. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes, or until mushrooms start to brown. Stir and continue cooking for 1 minute more. Add the sherry. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

2. To the mushroom pan, add the remaining butter. Melt over high heat. Add the corn. Season with salt and pepper and cook without stirring for 4 minutes, or until the corn starts to brown and become aromatic. It’s okay if it sticks a little.

3. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes back to the corn pan. Cook for 1 minute more, just to heat through.

4. Remove from heat and put succotash in a serving dish. Season with lemon juice and garnish with basil.

April 29, 2010

Spring Fever, Part II (Fiddlehead Salad)

They say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry because you will over-buy. A corollary to that adage would be, “Don’t go to Russo’s at the peak of Spring.” I’m like a kid in a candy shop, throwing everything in my cart – fresh English peas, morels, fiddlehead ferns, asparagus and ramps.

As I unloaded my bags at home, I thought about what I could make with my bounty. I could make a mélange of vegetables to serve with fish, but I wanted each vegetable to have a chance to shine. Instead, I opted to spread the wealth across several meals. The first meal, I wrote about here: a rather straightforward dish that I replicate in similar fashion every year.

For my second spring meal, I wanted to take a new direction. I found a recipe for fiddleheads that marinates them with soy sauce and sesame oil. This seemed like the perfect accompaniment to teriyaki. And when I make teriyaki, I usually add shiitakes, morels seemed like the logical spring substitution.

The vinaigrette for the fiddleheads is reminiscent of the bean sprout salads served in Japanese and Korean restaurants. I would use this same preparation in the future with bean sprouts.

Fiddlehead Salad

½ pound fiddlehead ferns
1 teaspoons sugar
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 ½ tbs. sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Soak fiddleheads in water. Let the dirt settle to the bottom. Lift them out, and drain on a paper towel. Repeat this process two more times.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Add fiddleheads, and cook for three minutes, or until bright green. Drain well and shock them in an ice bath.
In a bowl combine sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add drain the fiddleheads and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with morels and teriyaki glazed fish or chicken.

April 12, 2010

On the Bone (Recipe: Seared Halibut with Morels and Red Wine)

During the summer between my two years of business school, I had a summer internship in China and traveled with a few of my classmates. Their biggest complaint about the food was that there were too many bones. The Chinese tend to cut meat into chunks, on the bone, and cook it that way. They do this for two reasons. First, it stretches the meat farther. A single chicken, for example, can serve 6-8 people when butchered this way, rather than American 4. But more importantly, meat cooked on the bone tastes better: it has more flavor and is more juicy.

The same is true for fish. The challenge for fish, of course, is that the bones are smaller. They are harder to pick out, and have a greater chance of getting stuck in your throat. When I serve that has been cooked on the bone, I carefully remove the bones in the kitchen before serving. It makes the eating more pleasurable in that you don’t have to cautiously pick around the meat.

When I cooked halibut the other night, I topped it with morels and asparagus. The last thing on my mind were bones… I wanted to savor the earthy, meaty flavor of the spring-time treat. Since I removed the bones in the kitchen, I had nothing to worry about, and could eat with abandon.

Seared Halibut with Morels, Asparagus and Red Wine
2 halibut steaks
1 tbs. butter
1 pound fresh morels
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tbs. canola oil

1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2-4 tbs. butter
1 tbs. fresh parsley

salt pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Season halibut with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add 1 tbs. butter. When melted, add the morels, 1/2 the shallots, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes wihtout stirring. Stir a little and then conintue cooking for a few minutes more. Add the sherry, and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a warm place.

3. Heat a second large skillet over high heat. Add canola oil. Pat fish dry and gently press into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side or until golden brown. Turn over, turn heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes more, covered. Remove fish from pan. Sprinkle parsley on top.

4. Add the remaining shallots and red wine to the halibut pan. Let wine reduce to 1/4 cup. Add the chicken stock and reduce to 1/4 cup. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter, more or less to taste. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

5. Gently separate the halibut steak from the bone. Pull out the main bone in the center, and the small pin bones on the each side. Run your finger along the insdie of the filet to make sure all bones are removed. Put the filet back together.

6. Serve halibut with sauce, morels and steamed asparagus.

October 8, 2009

Foraging for Mushrooms (Recipe: Cognac Scented Mushrooms)

My first job out of cooking school was at Restaurant Nora in Washington DC (it was there that I cooked for newly elected President Clinton). We offered a variety of mushrooms on the menu, but always distinguished between “exotic” and “wild”. While the shiitakes were considered exotic for their Asian origins, they were actually cultivated on oak logs, and not grown in the wild. By now, they aren’t even considered exotic.

The cool wet weather of autumn has arrived. With it comes beautiful foliage and earthy mushrooms. I love the variety of fall mushrooms – chanterelles, hen of the woods, porcini — each with a different texture and flavor. One of the reasons these mushrooms are so special is that they cannot be cultivated like the ubiquitous shiitake and portobellos.

Foraging for mushrooms can be a dicey proposition. Not all mushrooms are edible, and many prized varieties, like the porcini, have a bitter or poisonous sibling. Local mycology groups offer hikes to forage for mushrooms with guides that help with identification. Unless I'm out with my friend Brett, I leave the foraging to the experts and purchase mushrooms at the market. As much as I love growing my own vegetables, fishing for seafood and hunting for meat, I'm a ninny when it comes to mushrooms.

My favorite meal to ring in fall is roast chicken with roast parsnips and carrots with creamed mushrooms on top. The colors are drab, but the mushrooms make the dish sing.

Cognac Scented Mushrooms
1 tbs. butter
1 1/2 lb. mushrooms, assorted, sliced or diced
2 tbs. chopped shallots
1 tbs. sliced garlic
2 tbs. cognac
1 cup cream
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 bunch thyme

Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add butter. Sauté mushroom, garlic and shallots without stirring for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms start to caramelize. Add cognac, and reduce before adding the cream and 2 tsp. chopped thyme. Reduce cream by half. Stir in mustard. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.