By Barbara Beltrami
Some years ago, my husband bought a book on mycology and decided that we were going to pick our own wild mushrooms in the woods. My mind fast forwarded to our virtual obituaries stating that the cause of death had been eating poisonous toadstools (sauteed in butter, white wine and shallots, of course).
Preferring the fairy tale image of mushrooms in an enchanted forest populated by cute little gnomes and rejecting the legacy of my prehistoric female predecessors and early ancestral gatherers, I vehemently nixed the idea. Instead I frequented the produce aisles of high-end supermarkets to seek out wild mushrooms harvested by responsible and knowledgeable organic farmers.
Eventually, the book and the idea were shelved, but not before we had eaten many varieties of mushrooms prepared in an even bigger variety of ways. While button and Portobello are the most commonly available, shitake, cremini, oyster, morel, enoki and others are the most tasty, delicate (and expensive!) but well worth their price.
Wild Mushroom Soup
YIELD: Makes 3 to 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh porcini, morel or chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
6 fresh mint or catnip leaves
4 cups beef broth
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 to 4 slices good Italian bread, toasted
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil; add mushrooms and herbs; sauté gently over medium heat until slightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Rub toasted bread with garlic and place in bottoms of soup bowls. Ladle in soup and serve immediately with an omelet, cheese and light red wine.
Mushroom and Brie Crostini
YIELD: Makes 8 crostini
INGREDIENTS:
8¼-inch-thick slices crusty Italian or French bread, toasted
12 ounces brie, rind removed
2 cups fresh mushrooms, cleaned and very thinly sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat broiler. Cover each slice of toast with 1/8 of the cheese; place on a baking sheet 6 inches from broiler and cook just until the cheese melts. Transfer crostini to serving platter; top with mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with a dry white wine.
Sauteed Mushrooms
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ pounds assorted mushroom varieties, cleaned and sliced
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over high heat; toss in the mushrooms and do not stir them until they start to brown; stir them and continue to cook five more minutes. Add butter and cook another five minutes until they are nicely browned. Add garlic, mint, parsley, lemon juice, wine, salt and pepper. Toss and serve immediately with eggs, meat or poultry.