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MUSHROOMS: Essence Of The Wild
Post Entry #6: 3/20/09
Mushrooms truely are the "essence of the wild".
They bring to a dish a wonderful wild aroma that blends well with other aromatics
like onion, garlic, carrot, leek, which then can be combined with herbs such as thyme and parsley, for example.
The mushroom here at Theo's is an ever present part of our menu. Whether used in risottos, duxelles, and various other sauces,
flavoring by rub, or other approaches, a variety of preparation and cooking methods
are used to deliver this "essence of the wild" into many menu choices from full entrees to sandwiches.
We regularly feature many varieties of mushrooms, including all those pictured here, and whether fresh or dried, each have their own touch of the wild to bring to
your recipe.
If you already haven't had the pleasure, with a little exploration you'll gain valuable insight into the flavor characteristic of each of these particular mushrooms and what they can bring to a dish. When not just enjoyed raw, if appropriate, you'll discover that each also favor and respond best to certain cooking methods. Part of this is dealing properly with the hight water content. Here is some general information for some of the more commonly used varieties:
Agaricus (white mushroom, button mushroom): pleasing flavor intensifies when cooked. Mature Agaricus with open veils have an intensely rich taste. Agaricus is quite versatile, being excellent for use both raw and cooked.
Chanterelle (girolle): nutty and delicate flavor and texture; Add late in the cooking process to avoid toughening. Use in salads, sauces and risottos.
Crimini (Italian brown): rich, earthy flavor is more intense than that of the Agaricus. Substitute for button mushrooms to add a more full-bodied flavor.
Shiitake: rich, full-bodied flavor, almost steak-like, with a meaty texture when cooked. These are best when cooked in almost any method, particularly sauteing, broiling and baking. Remove stems before cooking but reserve them for soup stocks.
Oyster: can be eaten raw in salads but more often this mushroom is cooked to bring out its delicate flavor and velvety texture. Some say this mushroom has a faint oyster-like or seafood flavor, to match its likeness in shape to oysters.
Enoki: light and mild, when eaten raw, they have a firm crisp texture and mild fruity flavour. If you use them in a cooked dish, add at the last possible moment as heat toughens enoki. Enjoy them raw in salads, sandwiches or rice paper rolls, or try adding them to soups, omelets or risottos just before serving.
Portabello/Portabella: Its long growing cycle gives a deep, meat-like flavor, and substantial texture. Rich, firm and flavoursome, portobello make a great burger, sandwich or pizza base, and are superb whole, sliced, grilled, baked, stir-fried, deep-fried, roasted or barbecued.
Porcini: smooth, meaty texture; pungent in flavor; pale brown color; very expensive; many general cooking uses. Also available dried.
Morel: a relative of the highly-prized truffle; spongy; smoky, earthy, nutty flavor; expensive and also available canned and dried. The darker the mushroom, the more pronounced is the flavor. This mushroom must be cleaned well when fresh due to its dimpled head.
The Hunt:
With Spring here there are now once again options. While some are happy to go with the store bought, for some mushroom hunting is a much fun and much anticipated yearly adventure, if not an addicting passion, and a true rite of Spring. Online there are now many message boards and blogs devoted to the topic. With over 38,000 varieties of mushrooms available, over 3,000 in North America alone, some areas are known for their prized wild mushrooms. However, it is most important that you research your target thoroughly if you intend to harvest your own wild mushrooms because many are highly toxic and life-threatening. In fact, it's recommended that up to 3 years of study is needed before one should confidently begin. The danger inherent in many poisonous varieties of mushrooms cannot be over-stressed. That being said, once being properly and completely armed with this knowledge from professional resources, a day out in the country looking for your prized objects can be great fun.
One of those mushrooms greatly anticipated each year in Wisconsin is The Mighty Morel. A relative of the highly prized truffle, the Morel has an intense flavor and unique texture. The Yellow Morel (Morchella esculenta) is the favorite of millions of American mushroomers. It is one of the most distinctive edible wild mushrooms: the cap looks distinctly honeycombed, with pits surrounded by ridges, and the entire mushroom is hollow, with a single chamber extending from top to bottom. Easy to identify, they can be found here in April and May with the peak season depending on several factors. Of special interest is one town here in Wisconsin deemed as the Morel Mushroom Capital of the State. Muscoda will this year be holding the 27th Annual Morel Mushroom Festival on May 16-17. There are two other kinds of morels in North America: the Black Morel and the "Half-free" Morel and those are both edible too. Of the 3, the yellows generally win the prize for flavor. There are a few mushrooms that vaguely resemble morels that are poisonous and which coincidentally also fruit during springtime but the resemblance is slight. REMEMBER: WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW OUT. Morels need to be fully cooked, DO NOT eat them raw, this will lead to sickness. And remember, though some mushrooms do better in olive oil than butter, morels demand butter. Happy Hunting!
Links:
Wisconsin Mycological Society
Morels.com
Mushroom Expert.com
The Great Morel