We would like to thank Malcolm Clark for offering these recipes for mushroom dishes. Not all the recipes here call for the medicinal mushrooms described in this book. but feel free to experiment by substituting your favorite mushrooms for the ones listed in these recipes.
Serves six
This is a simple but delicious recipe that can be made a day or two ahead if desired. Any combination of mushrooms can be used. I always like to include some dry mushrooms such as shiitake or porcini because they have much more intense flavor than their fresh counterparts.
2 tablespoons each unsalted butter and olive oil
¼ cup chopped shallots or green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ ounce dried porcini, softened in warm water, drained and chopped
3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced
3 cups mixed gourmet mushrooms, cleaned and halved (Trumpet Royal, Clamshell, Namkeo)
3 cups oyster mushrooms, stems removed and separated
½ cup dry white wine
1½ cups rich chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1½ cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (teaspoon dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Softened butter for pot pie dishes
Herbed bread crumbs (recipe below)
Add the butter and oil to a large sauté pan along with the shallots and garlic and saute over moderate heat until softened but not brown. Add the mushrooms and increase heat and sauté until lightly colored. Add the next six ingredients and simmer for five minutes. Strain the mixture and set the mushroom mixture aside. Retrun sauce to pan and reduce over high heat by half to a medium sauce consistency (about ten minutes).
Stir mushrooms back into sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among six lightly buttered one-cup ovenproof pot pie dishes. Sprinkle herb bread crumb mixture on top of each and place in a hot oven so that mushrooms are bubbling and topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Note: If making ahead, be sure to refrigerate pot pies and add crumb mixture just before they go into the oven.
Herb Bread Crumb Crust
¾ cup coarse white bread crumbs (Japanese panko prefered)
¾ cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Drops of olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a bowl with a few drops of olive oil to very lightly coat. Set aside until ready to use.
Recommended wine: Mushrooms and Merlot or Pinot Noir are a great match.
Preheat oven to 325°
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh exotic mushrooms, finely diced (exotic mushroom choices: shiitake, Clamshell, Trumpet Royal)
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 eggs, beaten
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon each: oregano, white pepper, Tabasco
½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Saute onion, garlic, and exotic mushrooms in olive oil, over medium heat, until barely limp. Add beaten eggs. Combine all remaining ingredients, mixing well. Turn into buttered 7- × 11-inch pan. Bake for about thirty minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cool and cut into one-inch squares.
Makes about 6 dozen 1-inch squares.
Serves six
4 cups sliced onions
2 tablespoons butter
½ pound mixed gourmet mushrooms (Brown Clamshell, Alba Clamshell, Blue Oyster, Black Oyster, sliced Trumpet Royal)
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups warm chicken stock or fish stock
4 cups sliced boiling potatoes
Herb bouquet (four parsley sprigs, ½ bay leaf preferably imported, ½ cup thyme)
Optional: three medium chicken breasts; or 6 boneless chicken thighs, cooked and slivered; or 1 to 1½ pounds fish filets, cut into chunks
½ cup sour cream
Sauté four cups of sliced onions in two tablespoons of butter. When tender but not browned, add the mushrooms and sauté for two minutes. Blend in two tablespoons of flour and cook slowly for two minutes; then remove from heat and blend in, by dribbles at first, four cups of chicken or fish stock. Add four cups of sliced potatoes and an herb bouquet, and simmer fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
You can also use fish instead of chicken, but replace the chicken stock with fish stock. Serve in big soup bowls and accompany with Pilot crackers or fresh French bread.
Serves four
1 cup coconut milk, divided
1 cup chicken stock
6 thin slices ginger
½ teaspoon fresh chopped jalapeño chili
2 stalks lemon grass/citronella, lower ½ portion only, cut into one-inch lengths and crushed
5 fresh basil leaves
½ boned chicken breast, sliced
5 tablespoons fish sauce
8 ounces mixed gourmet mushrooms (use a combination of Alba Clam Shell, Brown Clam Shell, Nameko, and sliced Trumpet Royal)
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup cilantro/coriander leaves, torn
Combine half the coconut milk and the chicken stock with the ginger, lemon grass, and basil leaves in a large saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the chicken, fish sauce, mushrooms, and sugar. Simmer for about four minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Add the remaining coconut milk to the saucepan and heat just to boiling. Place the lime juice and chili paste in a serving bowl and then pour the soup into the serving bowl. Garnish with the torn cilantro leaves and crushed chili peppers, and serve.
I love this concoction, which is a delicious condiment on almost anything. I use it to make vegetarian sushi or as a topping on bruschetta. It’s also great on simply grilled or broiled fish, shellfish, and chicken.
Makes approximately 1¼ cups
¼ cup finely chopped white onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh peeled ginger
4 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
½ pound shiitake or gourmet mushrooms (Trumpet Royal, Clamshell, Nameko), stems removed and cut into ¼-inch dice
2 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil (or to taste)
⅛ teaspoon five-spice powder
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped, rinsed salted black beans (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in two tablespoons of oil until softened but not brown. Set aside to cool. Add remaining two tablespoons oil to a pan and sauté mushrooms quickly until just beginning to brown (sauté in batches with a little more oil, if necessary). Add mushrooms to onion mixture and stir in remaining ingredients. Store covered in refrigerator up to one week.
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ pounds mixed gourmet mushrooms (shiitake, Trumpet Royale, Black Oyster, Blue Oyster, or Chanterelle), cleaned and sliced
Salt and pepper
6 slices country-style bread, ½-inch thick
½ cup olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Coat the pan with olive oil. Add shallots, garlic, and parsley and cook until shallots are soft. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Toast bread over a hot grill or under a broiler. Brush with olive oil and rub with the garlic clove while still hot. Top with sautéed mushrooms and serve with a glass of Chardonnay.
1 tablespoon dried porcini powder
6 pieces sliced porcini (optional but desirable)
Pinch of sugar
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
¾ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon porcini oil
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup porcini stock
¾ cup Arborio rice
Prepare porcini stock by placing one tablespoon dry porcini powder, sliced porcini, and a pinch of sugar in one cup warm water. Let soak for thirty to sixty minutes (for the well organized: cover overnight in the refrigerator).
Take the sliced porcini in your hand and squeeze out the liquid. Set porcini aside with the rice. Mix porcini stock and chicken stock together in a saucepan and heat to almost a simmer.
Rice Preparation
Melt two tablespoons butter or oil in a saucepan. When good and hot, add the rice and sliced porcini (first-time risotto makers set your clocks for twenty minutes). Stir continually and cook for approximately one minute on medium heat.
Add the dry white wine. Stir and simmer down until almost all the liquid has gone. Add one cup of prepared stock. Simmer down again (the starch should be really coming out now). Repeat twice again using all the stock (three times).
When the liquid has almost gone on the third time, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter/oil and two tablespoons grated cheese. Mix briskly for one minute; then turn off the heat. Add one teaspoon or more to taste of porcini oil to the mixture and serve immediately. Bite a piece of rice to test if done, or slice a few grains in half. They should be soft going to firm with a pinprick of white in the center (al dente). Cooking takes approximately twenty minutes with the recommended portions; a truly al dente finish is expected.
To prepare for four or more diners, keep doubling the ingredients and allow a little more time. Risotto gets better with practice and you can make slight variations according to your own taste.