Wild Lobster Mushrooms

 Last yr. I bought one of these monsters at the local farmers market. I didn't know a thing about them and just treated it like any mushroom I would buy in the store. I sauteed some in scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was awful, they were not soft at all. I swore I wouldn't waste my money on them again. That one mushroom cost me $3. That's a lot to waste.

Since then Ive been going mushrooming with a friend. Last yr. we got a few corals, lots of Chantrelles and some Boletes. I loved them. I dried them all last yr to use in winter soups and stews.

And so this yr my friend and I went early to see whats out there. I love wandering her farm, hiking thru the woods, finding all sorts of plants and tracking animals too. We went for Oyster mushrooms but I guess they are gone now.....but we found lots of Lobster mushrooms. I wasn't going to take any, remembering my experience with them last yr. But since we were out there I would get some to play with at least. I figure it was no loss if I didn't like them still.

That is my fist, to give a comparison of size.

And so I got quite a few in my basket and along the way back picked a bunch of wild blackberries too. I pick as many as I can of those too while the season lasts and freeze them for canning and baking thru the yr.  I took these mushrooms home and was trying to decide what to do with them There's conflicting advice out there whether to saute and freeze or dry. But I had quite a few and just decided to dry them. It was getting late and I still had to make dinner.  After I cleaned them, I sliced them about 1/4in. thick and dried them.

My bf decided he wanted Alfredo that nite for dinner since I mentioned it earlier to him. I had one chicken breast in the fridge. I had some reg. store mushrooms too and was just going to use that.......then I remembered the Lobster ones. I thought this would be a really good time to play with them. So I took about the equivalent of one big one out and re-hydrated it back to life.

There is no recipe for what I made, just a bit of this and that. But Ill post it here for those who wish to play. I put butter in a saute pan and cut up the chicken breast into bite size pieces. I sauteed that till golden. Then I tossed in more butter, this time much more because I know mushrooms absorb it. I drained the Lobster mushrooms and tossed them in. I let them saute very slowly in the butter while I sliced the store bought ones. I also sliced two garlic cloves very very thin. When the Lobsters were soft, I tossed the reg. mushrooms and garlic in with them and let it slowly absorb all the flavors of butter and chicken and cook and get all mellow.

I tasted them and they were heavenly, I could have eaten them just like that. I tossed the chicken in one more time. While all this was going on I had water for the pasta going. When the pasta was cooked, I drained it. I poured cream into the mushroom mixture and stirred it around. I added the pasta right to the pan with the mushrooms then and stirred it up again to coat well. Added a bit of s & p and some fresh chopped parsley. Put it on our plates and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Dinner was to die for. 
For more info try these links: 
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hypomyces_lactifluorum.html
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/

As with any wild thing........please do not pick if your not familiar with one that wont hurt you. Go with an expert, be safe!

Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew

A few wks ago I went foraging in the woods with a friend and brought back Chantrelle and Bolete mushrooms. It was late and I was tired when I got home so I decided to just clean them up and dehydrate them. I wasn't sure when I was going to use these dried ones since I rarely use that kind. But I had thawed some stew beef the other day and it needed to be used. So I wandered online looking for something interesting to use them in and found this on Pioneer Woman's site. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/beef-stew-with-mushrooms/

Since I never make a recipe the same as the one I find, this is my version.....

 Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew serves 4

    2 pounds Beef Stew Meat (mine was chuck so it needed longer cooking)
    4 Tablespoons Flour
    4 Tablespoons Butter
    2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    2 whole Shallots, peeled, coarsely chopped
    3 cloves Elephant Garlic, peeled and sliced thin
    8 ounces, Baby Bella Mushrooms, cut in half then sliced
    Dried mushrooms, whatever kind you like, approx. 1 oz or       to taste
    1/2 cup Red Wine
    1 can Beef Broth
    Salt And Pepper, to taste
    Pasta - Cooked And Drained
    2-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
    1c. Frozen Peas

 Put dried mushrooms in a microwaveable bowl and cover with water. Microwave 3 min. or till water is hot and steamy. Let them sit while you prepare fresh mushrooms, garlic and shallots. 

Sprinkle flour and some S & P over the meat. Mix well to coat the beef. Melt the butter and add the oil in a lg. dutch oven. When hot add the beef and brown well.  

 Remove beef and if necessary add a bit more oil, then add garlic and shallots. Saute a couple min. till shallots are beginning to soften. 

 Then add fresh mushrooms, stir and let cook another minute or so. Add beef broth, red wine and dried mushrooms with their liquid . (lots of flavor there, don't waste it). Stir and then add the beef and stir well. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Top with thyme and cover. Let simmer about an hr. and a half. Test the beef at that time to see if it is tender.

When its tender, add the peas and start the water for your pasta. I used egg noodles, about a half of a lg. pkg. Drain noodles and top with the stew to serve.

Processing Peaches, Peppers and more....

I bought two boxes of Alberta peaches last week. These were beauties right off the trees locally. Some were as big as soft balls. I almost hated to cut them up. I lost a couple on the bottom of one box tho , they started to go bad but still I had tons to do. So I started out peeling them.

Dipping them in hot water for 30sec. and then into cold water, and the skins slip off ez. Ive saved all the skins to add to some I had in the freezer. Later on when all this canning dies down some, I want to make Peach honey, which is basically jelly. You cover the skins with water and cook them down and strain it to use the juice to make the jelly. 

 I sliced these up and put them in qt. jars. A friend told me he makes a light honey syrup. Last year I did a sugar syrup which was good but I think honey is better. So I bought a big bottle from the local honey guy at the farmers market. Only 7qts fit in the water bath canner so I did those with the honey syrup. When I was making more syrup for the rest I thought why not add cinnamon to the rest so I did. I got 12qts sliced peaches, 7 plain, 5 cinnamon. One didn't seal so I'm eating it with my yogurt this week.(Honey syrup for a light syrup is 1qt. water/3/4c. honey)

Then I peeled the other box and cut them up. They got tossed in the crock-pot with the leftover honey syrup, to cook down overnight. Today I added some organic sugar, some cinnamon and then I thought it needed something more so I added one tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. Its yummy. So these got canned in two batches in small half pts. I figure Ill use several as Christmas gifts this yr. 

 While I had the canner going I remembered I had peppers still in a big bag in the garage. They ripened even more and many turned yellow. There were also a couple reds and a few greens. I saved the green to freeze, roasted the others. I made a brine of 1c. lemon juice, 1c. white vinegar, 1c. homemade chive vinegar (could be 2c. white instead), 1c. olive oil, 2tsp. kosher salt and 3 sliced garlic cloves. I put some opal basil in the bottom of a couple of small jars then topped with the peppers. Then I poured the hot brine over them and sealed to water bath them too. 

I hated to waste the brine tho cuz I didn't have enough peppers to use it up so I had about 1lb. mushrooms. I sliced them up and tossed them in the brine. Then I added a few peppercorns and a few springs of thyme. I let them cook then filled two small jars with the mushrooms and topped them with the hot brine. Peppers and mushrooms were water-bathed for 20min. plus 5 extra just sitting in the hot water to ensure a good seal.

One slice of mushroom stuck to the pot so I tasted it......and omg they are really yummy! So I'm thinking I may do this again real soon when the big crush of canning is done here. They are worth keeping around. I use those peppers in omelets and salads and I use both in antipasto platters. Its nice to have my own around.

Tomorrow is tomato sauce. I have to get them going before they go bad. I have jars for it but I need to run more jars thru the dishwasher. Busy busy week here.  

Mushroom-Lemon Thyme Rice

I went to grocery shop for a few things the other day. I found country ribs on a buy one get one free sale. I like to use those for so many things. But because I was out all day and tired when I got home,  I decided last nite to just put my BBQ rub on them and bake them off , then sauce them and bake a bit more. My bf got home before me so  he ate late. No one was really hungry yet so this was a good idea. This way dinner could bubble away slowly in the oven till we were hungry. And so I made buttered broccoli and a Mushroom/Lemon thyme rice. Dinner was great. 


And there's some leftovers I think Ill combine and freeze to use for fried rice another time. I mixed the leftover broccoli, rice, and some of the BBQ pork ribs, chopped fine,  together and when I decide to make the fried rice, all Ill have to do is fry up a few more veggies and add the frozen rice mix with some soy and ginger and garlic. And there will be either a quick dinner or a nice side dish for something else.


Mushroom Lemon Thyme Rice serves 4

1/4c. chopped onion
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini)
1 tb. olive oil + 1 tb. butter
1c. rice
2c. chicken broth
1 tb. fresh chopped lemon thyme (you could add more if you love a stronger flavor)
1 garlic clove, minced
Parmesan cheese
S & P

Put oil and butter in a lg. frying pan. When butter is melted toss in chopped onion. Sauté 5 min., then add sliced mushrooms. Sauté till veggies begin to brown a bit. Add rice and stir well sautéing till rice begins to get a bit brown too. Add chicken stock.

Add garlic and lemon thyme stir well and cover with lid. Taste and see if it needs S & P and adjust the seasonings. Cook until almost all the broth is absorbed. At that point shut heat off and let sit 10-15min. till rest of broth is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Stir in about a 1/4c. of Parmesan cheese and stir. Serve.

Beef Stroganoff Stuffed Potatoes

I saw something like this on another page and decided to save it. Since I was not in the mood to make a big dinner, I decided this was a good nite to try this. We like stuffed potatoes and I like that this one had everything in it, especially lots of veggies. 


As usual I tweaked it a bit but I didn't change much. I did however halve this recipe since theres only the two of us. It made enough for us each to have one potato for dinner and one leftover. (Im having the last one for lunch today, its yummy warmed up too). My bf loved it enough for me to make it again. I loved that it goes together fast with things you have on hand.

I dont like green peppers much but always have red roasted ones on hand, so I used that but you could use anything. I made him a big baking russet potato and I made me a smaller one. I will say that he couldn't finish his. So judge accordingly to your eaters regular appetites. I used frozen spinach in mine. Chopped beef tho doesn't give much beef flavor so I added a touch of bouillon. Actually I use a professional beef paste that I keep on hand here but some bouillon would work too. Or if you have it just use a can of beef broth instead of the water.

You may want to tweak the seasonings once its done. I found it needed a bit more kick so I added a good splash of Worcestershire to it. 


Beef Stroganoff Stuffed Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
1 lb. chopped beef
Butter
1lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1/2c. roasted red pepper, diced
1 c. frozen greens - collard, kale, spinach, swiss chard, your choice
4 cloves garlic
1c. water
1/2 tsp. beef bouillon
2 tsp. paprika
S and P
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. Worcestershire
Grated Parmesan cheese

Scrub potatoes well and prick skin with a knife. Rub with Olive oil and S & P. Put on a plate and bake in microwave till tender. How long depends on size of potato. Lg. russets take longer.

Meanwhile melt a small amt. of butter in a pan. Add sliced mushrooms and cook till wilted and tender. Add onion and cook a few min. more till soft. Add roasted pepper, garlic and greens and cook till greens are thawed and hot. Transfer veggies to a sm. bowl while browning the meat. 

Crumble the beef into the hot pan and brown well. Add water, bouillon, paprika, S & P to it and let simmer a few min.

Add sour cream to the beef and stir well. Then add veggies back to pan.

Split potatoes but not all the way thru and remove some of the potato insides. Chop and add to filling. Put a bit of butter in the potato shells. Then top with meat mixture. Generously shake Parmesan cheese over each to serve.

We found we wanted more cheese and sour cream to top our meals with at the table.

Chicken Valdostano

I made this dish the other nite. I only made it for two tho so I cut down on this recipe. I had a few lg. cremini mushrooms so I used those. And I often keep small bottles of red and white wine around for when I need a little bit. They are handy. This way I dont have to open a big bottle if we arent going to drink it. I will say this tho about the sauce and recipe. I cut it by 1/3 and there wasnt enough sauce. Next time I think Ill make the whole recipe part of the sauce.

This dish is excellent. But putting the cheese topped chicken back in the pan......well the crust from the chicken absorbed most of the sauce. Now that wasnt really bad because I had sauce on one side and cheese on the other. But I wanted to warn everyone in case you were looking to have it saucy. Either way, this dish is absolutely delicious!


Chicken Valdostano Serves 6

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin
1/4 cup unsalted butter
10 fresh mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
6 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
6 slices fontina cheese

1. Lightly flour chicken breasts, shaking off excess flour. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter/margarine. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each side. Remove with slotted spatula and set aside.
2. Increase heat to medium low. Add mushrooms and saute until juices are rendered, about 4 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by 1/4, about 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Add stock, parsley and pepper and simmer until sauce reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low. Top each chicken breast with a slice of prosciutto and a slice of fontina cheese. Return chicken to skillet and cook just until cheese melts. Transfer chicken to individual plates and top each with some of the mushroom sauce before serving.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms with Tomato and Bread Salad

I stumbled onto this recipe and it sounds so good. Its a vegan meal pretty much unless you dont eat cheese or dairy either. I could eat this for dinner but I know my boyfriend would be looking for the meat so if I decide to make it, I might throw a chop or burger on the grill too while these were cooking..... Just for him........cuz I love him :)

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms with Panzanella

8 portabello mushroom caps
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing mushrooms, plus 1/4 cup
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained well
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1 clove garlic, grated with microplane or small side box grater
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
6 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, about 20, torn
4 cups crusty bread, torn or coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Panzanella, stale bread salad, requires that you soak and wring out the bread before assembling the salad. If you make this with fresh crusty bread or the bread has staled a bit but not hardened, the juice from the tomatoes should be enough to tenderize the bread's crusty edges.
Preheat grill to medium-high and oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a damp towel, brush mushroom caps to clean. Using a pastry brush, coat the caps with extra-virgin olive oil and grill with lid down or roast about 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until tender but still firm at center.

Wring the spinach out in a clean kitchen towel. Separate the spinach with your fingers and combine with artichokes, ricotta cheese, egg yolk, grated garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and nutmeg. Remove mushroom caps from grill.

To portion-control the filling, divided the stuffing into 4 parts then just split each of those evenly between 2 caps. Sprinkle the caps with Parmigiano and cook 5 to 6 minutes more in the preheated oven to set filling and lightly brown tops.

Do not seed tomatoes. Chop and place in a salad bowl. Add basil, bread, onions, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, lots of salt and pepper and toss with your hands to combine.

VENISON AND MUSHROOM STEW

This is a rich luscious stew that I made yrs ago and just adore! Haven't made in in ages since I can't seem to get any venison but once I get up to Oregon you bet Ill be making it. Recipe calls for juniper berries which is usual to cut the gamey flavor of deer but I didn't have it when I made this so I just used Gin. The alcohol all cooks off anyway but the flavor remains.

Venison and Mushroom Stew

6 shallots, chopped fine
3/4 lb. bacon, chopped
1c. lard, recipe calls for this I don't have it. I use whatever I want, butter, oil, whatever. This is the one place to cut back on garbage in your recipe real ez.
3c. dry red wine, If you can drink it you can cook with it
6oz. can tomato paste, dissolved in 1c. beef broth
3c. brown stock or beef broth, I used beef broth, easier to get
2 1/4lb. mushrooms, I used button mushrooms but some nice crimini or morels would be good too.
3 tb. juniper berries, crushed ( or Gin)
Cheesecloth bag with 1 bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, pinch of sage, pinch of rosemary and the grated rind of 1 orange.
6lbs. of boneless shoulder of venison, cut into 1 1/2in. cubes
Flour for dredging
Buttered noodles

Directions:
In a kettle cook shallots and bacon in 1/2c.lard over med. heat, stirring 8min. Add wine, tomato paste mixture, garlic, stock, mushrooms, juniper berries, cheese cloth bag and orange rind. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20min. Season venison with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, sear the meat in batches in remaining half cup lard over med. high heat and transfer to the kettle. Bake the stew, covered with foil and the lid in a preheated very hot oven (450degrees) for 1hr. and 45min. or till the meat is very tender. Discard cheesecloth bag and garnish with parsley. Serve with noodles.

Moms Mushroom Ragu

My mom makes this mushroom dish every year for Thanksgiving. It is the one dish WE MUST HAVE or nobody is happy. Who would think a few simple ingredients would taste so good? We make alot so this recipe seems huge but remember mushrooms cook down alot. And then we save the leftovers in the freezer. ( Sometimes there aren't any!) I then use the leftovers in Salisbury steak gravy or tossed in with peas for a side dish, or used in omelets. I like it so much Ive started cooking some at other times of the year just to keep on hand in the freezer to use in my cooking instead of fresh or canned.

MOMS MUSHROOMS

8 lbs. white button mushrooms
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 stick of butter

Clean mushrooms, trim ends and slice (sometimes when I'm lazy Ill just buy already sliced ones if the price is right). Melt butter in a lg. 8qt. pot. Saute onions in butter till soft. Add mushrooms and stir. There is no need to add water but you do need to watch it the first few min. Cover with lid so mushroom juices can gather in bottom of pan. Once you know there is some juice, lower heat to a simmer and let cook for a couple hrs on the back of the stove. Yes it takes time but thats so the juices can be rendered then evaporated. You want the juice to be loose but reduced down to a nice sauce consistency. No it doesn't thicken but the reduction of mushroom liquid adds a nice flavor to it. I cook this the day or so before Thanksgiving and then refrigerate. I toss it in the oven to reheat that day with other things I have in there. Save the leftovers! Even the juices are great in gravies. And if you feel adventurous or like mushroom assortments , I bet this would be good with those too. (And yes you can cut this in half or quarter or whatever, this is just the basics here that I use).