For many, mushrooms are the food of the gods! You’ll find them everywhere in the woods and sometimes even growing on your front lawn. Some are edible, others are highly poisonous. The trick is how to tell the difference, and for this you should buy a good guide book and study the examples illustrated very carefully. Even better, find an expert mycologist and have him or her take you on a trip into the woods.
Morels are difficult to find and for this reason, most cherished. (They are also my favorite!) Once you find a spot bearing this treasure, you may want to keep this a deep, dark secret, revealed to no one. Morels have hollow stems and their tops look spongelike, gray or yellowish in color. But there are false morels, too. These are brown or crimson and look brainlike. Don’t pick these as they are somewhat toxic.
Chanterelles are a golden yellow color with hollow stems and a funnel shape. Try to find them in their early stages because that’s when they’re the tastiest. (They have a smell similar to apricots.) Just don’t get fooled and pick a false chanterelle.
Puffballs emerge just before autumn and can grow as large as a soccer ball (which they resemble as well). They should be eaten when fresh and bright white. Just peel, slice, and fry in butter for a really tasty treat.
Other wild mushrooms that I like are shaggy manes, boletes, and hen of the woods. But there are many more out there that you might have an easier time finding in your particular area.
One overall rule to keep in mind when you become a mushroom maniac: Never eat a raw mushroom, even if you’re sure it isn’t poisonous. And always be careful out there!
The flavor of wild mushrooms intensifies if you use them dried and reconstitute them in boiling water (for 20 minutes, or until soft). Then you have not only lovely moist mushrooms, but also a delicious liquid that can be used in many recipes as a soup base or stock.
A food dehydrator is perfect for drying mushrooms. If you don’t have one, place the mushrooms on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Turn the oven on its lowest setting (150°F) and check after 10–12 hours. The mushrooms should be dry but not really blackened. I once let my mushrooms dry overnight, checking them in the morning. Even at a low oven setting, the darn things went black on me. I was upset, thinking they were spoiled, but tried reconstituting them anyhow. They made a dark, rich broth and did not have a burnt taste.
I noticed, however, that when I used the food dehydrator, the mushrooms were not as black and stayed larger (when dried) than when I tried the same thing in the conventional oven. If you find a large cache of morels, chanterelles, or any other mushroom, a dehydrator is a wise investment.
A really economical way to dry mushrooms is to string them together on a long cord. Just thread a darning needle with cotton thread (or even unflavored dental floss or fishing line), pierce each mushroom, and string it onto your line, until your mushroom garland is as long as you like. Hang from an arch or overhang, so your mushroom garland can float freely and air dry. It also makes a nice decoration in the kitchen ... and a real conversation piece.
2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (morels, hen of the woods, chanterelles, etc.)
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 tablespoons milk
grated nutmeg (to taste)
3 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup flour
¼–½ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Reconstitute mushrooms by boiling in 3½–4 cups water for 20–30 minutes or until soft. Drain mushrooms, reserving the broth, and chop them.
Heat 3 tablespoons butter with the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the reconstituted wild mushrooms and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add milk and nutmeg and cook for a few more minutes. Set aside.
In another saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Remove pan from heat and beat in the flour. Return pan to low heat and cook until mixture turns a darker color. Then remove pan again from heat and add mushroom broth gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Return to low heat. (If necessary, to get rid of lumps, run the mixture through a sieve, scraping the underside of it to get all the flour mixture.) Then add the cooked mushroom mixture to the broth mixture.
Bring soup to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then add ¼–½ cup milk to desired thickness. Heat through and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice)
1–2 oz. dried morels
2 cups boiling water
12 oz. spinach fettucini
1 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh dill weed, chopped
¼ cup butter
½ cup flour
1½ cups milk
1 cup scallions, sliced (green and white parts)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice salt and pepper (to taste)
Prepare chicken breasts and grill them (or you may broil them in the oven) until slightly blackened and charred and no longer pink inside. Set aside to cool (can be done a day ahead) and serve at room temperature.
Put morels in heat-proof dish and pour 2 cups boiling water on them (to reconstitute). Set aside for 20 minutes or until softened. Remove mushrooms from liquid (reserve liquid for later). Chop mushrooms coarsely.
Cook fettucini according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
Put mushrooms and wine in a skillet. Bring it to a boil for about 3 minutes, until wine is reduced somewhat. Turn heat to low, then add the cream and dill. Cook on low one more minute. Add reserved mushroom liquid. Cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for a few minutes over medium heat until mixture has darkened a bit. Slowly add milk, whisking it so there are no lumps. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add this mixture to the mushrooms. Add scallions, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and heat through.
Divide pasta among four plates. Pour morel sauce on the pasta. Slice charred chicken on the diagonal and place on top of pasta. Drizzle a little more sauce on top of the chicken. Serves 4.
1 10-inch pizza shell, prebaked
1 tablespoon olive oil
8–10 fresh basil leaves
10 or more fresh morels, depending on their size
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush pizza shell with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the basil leaves coarsely and place them on the pizza shell. Wash morels thoroughly, slice them vertically through the middle (checking for critters), and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, arrange morels cut side down on the pizza. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, then shredded mozzarella. Add salt and pepper. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted.
Serves 2–3 people, depending on appetites.
If you have just returned from the woods with a bag full of morels and are anxious to taste them, this might be the quickest way to enjoy your bounty. Just wash them carefully, making sure you get all the dirt out of the crevices on the caps. Then slice them vertically and look for any ants that might have made the morels their home. Put the morels in a colander or lay them on paper towels to day.
3 tablespoons butter
10–20 or more morels, depending on their size
salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt the butter in (preferably) a cast iron skillet (if you use a nonstick frying pan, the mushrooms will not brown as nicely). Add halved mushrooms and let fry until their edges start to brown, 5–10 minutes. (Depending on how fresh your morels are, they might contain a lot of water; therefore, it might be necessary to drain a bit of this off while frying.) They are ready when they start to “dance.” When the morels start to hop up and down, you’ll know it is the right time to eat them. Add salt and pepper and serve hot.
Remember: the mushrooms shrink in size, so 40 mushroom halves (20 mushrooms) do not go a long way. But they are delicious, so savor every bite!
2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (morels, hen of the woods, chanterelles, etc.)
2 cups boiling water
½ pound fresh asparagus
4 oz. package (or 125 g) goat cheese
4 oz. package (or 125 g) cream cheese (regular or light)
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
10 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
⅓ cup butter, melted
Reconstitute dried mushrooms in 2 cups of boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Strain off liquid (freeze for future use) and drain the mushrooms very, very well. Set the mushrooms on a few tea towels and press lightly to get out all the liquid.
Clean asparagus and snap off tough bases. Cut the spears into l-inch pieces and set in a pan of water on the stove. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside on tea towels and dry the asparagus very well.
Combine the cheeses with the chives, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix well. Stir in the mushrooms and asparagus.
Place a sheet of phyllo dough horizontally in front of you and brush with a little melted butter. Repeat this process until you have 5 stacked sheets of phyllo. Don’t brush the top one with butter. Take half the cheese filling and spread it in a 4-inch strip along the bottom of the phyllo (about 1 inch from the bottom and 2 inches from the sides). Fold up the bottom and tuck in the sides and roll it up just like a jelly roll. Put it on a greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush all over with melted butter. Cut several small slits along the top of the strudel. Make another strudel by repeating the above process with the other half of the filling.
Bake in a 375°F oven for 30–40 minutes or until golden brown. Before cutting into slices (a serrated or bread knife works best) and serving, let it cool for about a quarter hour or so. Makes 2 strudels, which serve about 6–8 people.
