Healthy Wholesome and Delicious Treats
These days truffles, porcini, morels, crimini, ceps, portabella, hon-shimeji and their cousins are no longer seen as either the food of gods or of devils. Mushrooms no longer conjure images of the Spirits with hallucinogenic psilocybe but instead conjure visions of one of the most intriguing and subtle of all gastronomic treats.
Contents at a Glance
It is easy to despise gold and silver, but exceedingly difficult to refuse a plate of mushrooms.
Epigrams of Martial
Utzi the Ice Man's Mushrooms
In the winter of 1991, hikers in the Italian Alps came across the well preserved remains of a man who died almost 5 and 1/2 thousand years ago.He became known as Utzi, the Iceman, and we have learned a great deal about this man, including what he ate, where he lived, and what he wore.
He was well equipped with a knapsack, flint axe, arrows and a string of dried Birch Polypores (Piptoporus betulinus) and another yet unidentified mushroom.
Polypores
The polypores can be used as tinder for starting fires and as medicine for treating wounds. It can be boiled into a rich tea with immuno-enhancing properties. Uzi was well equipped for traversing the wilderness, aided by the noble polypores.
Polypores
The polypores are among the most common, widespread, and easily identifiable groups of wild mushrooms. Almost all polypores grow on wood, such as trees, fallen logs, stumps, or semi-buried wood.
Nutrition
Mushrooms also have many of the B vitamins, and the vitamins C, K, and E.
I could go on more .. mushrooms are a rich source of potassium and phosphorous. About 5 raw button mushrooms contain 370 mg. of potassium and 104 mg. phosphorous.
Take the portabellas for example. Portabellas are an ideal food for those watching their waistlines. They contain no fat or sodium, are high in fibre, and low in calories (40 calories for a medium size).
Crimini
I also love quinces
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I love Quince!
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The quince has fallen out of favour in modern times and there are quite a number of people who wouldn't recognise a quince if it were served up to them. Once it was prized throughout Western Asia and the seeds were carried, tenderly, to Europe and ac...
How to Dry a Mushroom
"You need the following things: a black T-shirt, a "clip up" work lite with a reflector dish (available for around six dollars at most good hardware stores) and 60 watt bulb, and some paper towels."
"Take your guys and lay them out on paper towels (you only need to use one layer of towels). Next take the black T-shirt and place it on top of the 'shrooms (black is used because it transfers the heat from the bulb better than other colors, plus it keeps light from possibly degrading the alkaloids)."
"Now clip the light fixture on any handy object so that the reflector is about 18-24 inches from the T-shirt. Turn that puppy on and in 24 hours or so you will have cracker-dry shroomies!!!"
Is it edible?
100 Edible Mushrooms
Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 07/12/2009)
Michael Kuo loves mushrooms too. In this guide he identifies 100 species of mushroom, using full colour illustrations and some tips on where and when to find them. He also includes how to cook them in creative and delicious ways.
Preparing Mushrooms
To remove the stems, give them a gentle little push with your thumb and they will loosen easily. Keep the stems for adding to soups, stir fries, and stuffing.
The true aficionada doesn't wash her mushrooms at all, but merely wipes them lovingly with a damp cloth.
Risotto Portabella
1 1/2 cups minced onion1 large garlic clove, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
200-250g, 8 oz Portabella mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Method
In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, heat some oil. Add onion and garlic; sauté and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice; continue to cook and stir coating the rice with oil. Add the wine; cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, trim mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces. In another pan heat oil. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour 3 cups of stock into the rice, over medium-high heat stir until almost al dente. Stir in the cooked mushrooms and add more stock as needed.
The risotto should be creamy, not runny. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in a 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese until completely dissolved. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining parmesan.
Storing Mushrooms
- Keep mushrooms refrigerated
- Remove the plastic from packaged mushrooms
- Keep fresh mushrooms in a porous paper bag
- Avoid air-tight containers which cause moisture condensation and spoilage
- Don't rinse until ready to use
I love cheese too
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I Love Cheese!
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There's something quite indulgent about the delicious labours of the ancient craft of cheese-making - the sheer enjoyment from a simple wedge of crumbly red cheddar or a sharp shaving of tart parmesan. Cheese tastes best in its country of origin and...
Shiitake Mushrooms
Mushroom Burgers
* 4 large portabello or large field mushrooms
* 30m l/2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* salt and ground black pepper
* 4 crusty ciabatta rolls
* crisp lettuce
* sliced tomatoes
What you do
Place the mushrooms in a shallow dish, add the oil, garlic and seasoning and toss until the mushrooms are evenly coated. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Cook the mushrooms on the barbecue, or in a flat frying pan for 8-10 minutes turning once until browned on both sides and tender when tested with a fork. Transfer to a plate, gill side down and leave for a couple of minutes.
Toast the ciabatta rolls on the barbecue, or pop into a toaster. Fill with lettuce, tomato and top with the mushrooms.
Delicious served with houmous!
On the Menu at Cafe Porridge
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byA Feast of Mushrooms
An Old Favourite
MUSHROOM FEAST: A Celebration of all Edible Fungi, Cultivated, Wild and Dried, with Recipes
Amazon Price: $22.76 (as of 07/12/2009)
Besides the traditional use of mushrooms to enhance meat and vegetable dishes, these delightful edible fungi are made into pate, powdered, pureed into mushroom ketchup, baked into a flan (an Alice B. Toklas specialty), baked as a cake and used in many other dishes - from the simple to the highly sophisticated - for soups, sauces, stuffings, main courses, and all too intriguing to resist.
And I love Butternuts
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I love Butternuts!
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Pumpkins and squash are simply the most versatile and delicious vegetables around. Traditionally associated with winter, they are now available at any time of the year. Already fairly sweet, butternuts get even sweeter when cooked and commonly have...
Oyster Mushrooms
What do you think about mushrooms?
Mushrooms Demystified : A Guide
Mushrooms Demystified
Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 07/12/2009)
The reference book for everything about mushrooms in USA. Covvering "fungophobia" (fear of eating wild mushrooms), mushroom biology, mushrooms and the environment, scientific names and classification, mushroom collecting, mushroom identification, and all about LBMs (little brown mushrooms).
New Featured Lenses
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Australia : Lensography of My Place
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G'day from Melbourne, Australia, where I put these pages together while looking out the window at the kookaburras. I have a number of lenses on Australia, some dealing with the creatures who bound across this land, some highlighting the different pl...
twit
Fanmail and Feedback for Fungus
James20 wrote...
I love mushrooms on pizza, more the better. I did not know that there are so many you can eat. Here in Minnesota we look for morels. 5*
Posted March 26, 2009
TopStyleTravel wrote...
Wonderful lenses on mushrooms. 5 stars! The photo of the polypore mushroom looks like a work of art. Wow the more I read your lenses, I realize we have a lot of food tastes in common.
Posted March 14, 2009
BeautySalon wrote...
I love mushrooms too! Thanks for risotto recipe. 5 stars!
Posted January 05, 2009
msbaby wrote...
I have been hooked on portobello mushrooms ever since Oprah brought them to my attention. They taste great, but they don't seem to be helping me maintain my weight as I might wish. After looking at your pics of Polypores, I realized I have been taking pictures of these beautiful mushrooms for years! Thanks for the information.
Posted December 14, 2008
enslavedbyfaeries wrote...
We love mushrooms at our house and can't wait to give your recipes a try! Nicely done. 5*
Posted October 12, 2008
Thanks for dropping by ..
Thanks very much for dropping by this lens. You're more than welcome to leave a note in the guest book above and, if you're a member of Squidoo, you can also rate this lens :)It's all much appreciated, Susanna
The Feral Squid
Through a lens darkly
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High Five
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