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MUSHROOMS

 
 
Mushrooms add a delicious level of complexity to any meal including omelets, stir-fries, soup, steeped as a tea, broiled, grilled, in sauces, sautéed, eaten raw, and can add the satisfactory filling or meaty feel for the main dish.  They mix well with onions, green beans, tomatoes, fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, and thyme in particular), cream, cheese (a favorite on pizza!), and meats.

They have been used medicinally for many years, particularly in Asia.  Some are poisonous, some boost the immune system and others can lower it and be carcinogenic.  Many offer powerful antioxidants.  Some mushrooms can actually fight cancer and others promote it.  Some even reduce the risk of heart disease. 
 

White Button Mushrooms are not as well researched and there is conflicting reports about whether they help prevent or cause cancer.  They do contain a natural carcinogen that cannot be cooked or washed off.  These natural toxins are not found in other mushrooms.
 

Creminis are actually baby Portabella Mushrooms and can replace white mushrooms in any dish even though they are more dense than the white mushroom.  These were the first mushrooms cultivated in the United States.
Portabella Mushrooms add flavor to a sauté.  Portabellas are great grilled and used in sandwiches alone or with grilled peppers and maybe some cheese.  They can be cut up and added to rice or other dishes.  Portabellas are meaty, hearty and satisfying.  
Shitakes have many health benefits but are underutilized in the states. They have a wonderful woodsy flavor and chewy texture.  The stems are too tough so take those off (you can save them in the freezer to make a mushroom stock) before slicing for a sauté.  Shitakes contain lentinan, a potent immune booster and cancer fighter.  Research indicates they fight cancer and heart disease while strengthening the immune system.  In Asia they have been used for centuries to treat a myriad of symptoms from upset stomachs to colds and flu, and even exhaustion.
 		  
     
  Dried Mushrooms

Easily reconstitute dried mushrooms by simmering in a cup of water, milk or broth for 20 minutes.  Rinse the mushrooms and slice and add to your dish.  You can use the strained broth to flavor your dish too.  Delicious Organics offers MycoLogical Gourmet Mushrooms where 50% of their profits support forest conservation efforts.  Our purchase from this company of these sustainably harvested, delicious, and sometimes unknown mushrooms supports local economies creating vital incentives to keep healthy forest ecosystems intact.  They also use recycled paper and 95% biodegradable cellophane to package their products, and they use soy ink.

  
  Black Trumpet Mushrooms are delicious but little known wild mushrooms.  They look like lacy grey flowers emerging from the forest floor.  Fragrant and fruity, they are excellent with fish or in cheddar cheese dishes.  
  Lobster Mushrooms are red like cooked lobsters and are sweet, delicate, and delicious.  They are slightly crunchy and are particularly good in egg and milk dishes like frittatas and quiches.  From the pristine mountain forests of Western North America where they fruit in great abundance, they are only found in natural areas with living trees.  
  Wood Ear Mushrooms are highly prized for the culinary properties and reputation for promoting good health.  Cultivated for centuries in China and Japan, they have an earthy gourmet flavor, and are renowned for their distinctive and pleasing crisp texture.  Try them in a stir fry, in miso soup, or add them sliced to rice.  
Morels are some of the most highly prized of the wild mushrooms.  They have an extraordinary flavor; they are earthy and woodsy.  They are also difficult to find.  They evolved from yeast and are therefore more complex than other mushrooms.  These savory morels capture the essence of their remote and pristine origins evoking a soulful, smoky, and sensual experience of wilderness.  They grow in association with living trees of coniferous and mixed wood forests where they fruit in great abundance.  They are hollow, rubbery and fragile.  Simply sauté reconstituted morels in butter or try a recipe that showcases their flavor like this broccoli cheese dish or these Morel Recipes or these Morel Recipes or these Morel Recipes.  
Porcini mushrooms are valued for their meaty texture, great depth of flavor and distinct shape.  Considered one of the finest tasting mushrooms.  
 

Facts:

  

 		 Nutritionally: Mushrooms are low in calories and fat and chock full of essential minerals and B-Complex vitamins, antioxidants, and are a good source of protein.  Many are also medicinal and quite healthful.  Creminis, for example, are an excellent source of selenium, manganese, copper, and zinc, all essential trace minerals, as well as iron, riboflavin and B-complex vitamins.

In addition, mushrooms are an excellent source of antioxidants.  According to Dr. Weil "In a paper presented on June 26, 2006, at the Institute of Food Technologists meeting in Orlando, Florida, researcher N. Joy Dubost reported that portabella mushrooms had an oxygen radical absorbance capacity value (a measure of antioxidant efficiency) of 9.7 per gram, and creminis clocked in at 9.5. Data from other researchers pegged carrots and green beans at 5, red pepper at 10 and broccoli at 12."
 

  
  How to choose: Mushrooms should be smooth and dry.  If you see the gills under the mushroom, that mushroom has a richer flavor; if you don't see the gills, it is a more delicate flavor.
 		  
  How to store: Store them unwashed in the paper bag or container in which they were purchased in the refrigerator drawer.  Mushrooms are perishable and you should plan to use them soon after purchase.  You can prolong their life if you put them in a dry container and not in plastic.  Dried mushrooms should be stored in your pantry in the bag in which they came.  They will keep for a very long time dried.
 		  
  Fun Fact:
  • Like Chocolate, Mushrooms have been saved as the 'food of the gods' and Egyptian Pharaohs believed they had magical powers.
  • Of the 70,000 species of the mushrooms in the world, only about 250 are actually edible.
  • Mushrooms will double in size every 24 hours so a Portabella is not that much older than a Cremini!
  • While used as a vegetable, mushrooms are actually a unique food in that they are a fungus.
     
  
  Cooking Tip: 
  • Mushrooms act as sponges so most people wash them by rubbing them in a damp cloth or using a mushroom brush.  Truth is, however, as long as you don't soak them in water, they shouldn't absorb all that mush anyway and a nice rinse makes for a quicker cleaning.
  • Mushrooms do not need to be peeled (nutritional value is just under the skin so don't peel them!) but sometimes the stems may be rough, particularly with Shitakes, and those should be trimmed before using them.
  • Don't crowd the pan when you sauté them and you will be rewarded with a delicious and gorgeous caramelized mushroom instead of a soupy mess.
  • They don't need much time to cook so if adding to a soup or stew, add them toward the end.  If adding them to an omelet, first sauté them (with onions!) and then add them to the omelet once it is almost set.
  • Though they can be eaten raw, they have a tough cell wall that breaks down (and allows our bodies to absorb the nutrients much easier) once cooked.  Cooking destroys the natural toxins in mushrooms, brings out the flavor, and allows our bodies to absorb more of the nutrients.
  
  Recipes: 
  • Mushroom Risotto - or buy the risotto mix and add some fresh mushrooms!
  • Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • Arugula, Mushroom and Red Pepper Salad
  • Mushroom Soup with Roasted Fennel
  • Green Beans and Portobello Mushroom Sauté
  • Frittata with Mushrooms and Onions
  • Mushrooms in Puff Pastry
  • Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
  • Barley, Shitake and Spinach Pilaf, Steven Petusevsky
  • Mushroom Recipes from Fungi.com

  • Lobster Mushroom Frittata

    1 oz. Lobster mushrooms 3 Tbs. butter  
    1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup chopped onion
    1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 tsp. salt
    1/4 tsp. black pepper 6 eggs
    4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled  

    In bowl, pour heated milk over coarsely chopped Lobster mushrooms and let sit for one hour. In saucepan, lightly sauté onion in 2 Tbs. butter. beat eggs into milk and Lobster mushrooms. Add onions and the remaining ingredients. Heat the remaining butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. When quite hot add the egg mixture and cook until bottom is set. Place under preheated broiler to finish cooking and brown the top.

  • Broccoli with Black Trumpet Cheese Sauce

    1 oz. Black Trumpet mushrooms 1 cup water  
    1 cup milk 3 Tbs. flour
    3 Tbs. butter 1/2 cup diced onion
    1 1/2 cups mild cheddar cheese 1 Tbs. dry white wine

    In bowl, pour heated water over coarsely chopped Black Trumpets and let them sit for one hour. In saucepan, lightly sauté onion in butter, add flour and cook while stirring 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in soaking water and black trumpets, followed by the milk, and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add wine and the grated cheese, cook just until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over fresh steamed broccoli.

  • Morel Rarebit

    1 oz. Morel mushrooms 3 Tbs. butter  
    3 Tbs. flour 2 cups half & half
    2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese 1 tsp. dry mustard
    1/8 tsp. cayenne  

    In bowl, pour warmed half & half over coarsely chopped Morels and let sit for 15 minutes. In saucepan, add flour to melted butter and cook while stirring 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in cream and Morels, and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese, mustard and cayenne, cook until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over toasted whole wheat bread or English muffins.

  • Morel Stroganoff

    2oz package of MycoLogical Morel mushrooms with spice packet
    4 Tbs. butter 3/4 cup water or stock
    1 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup chopped onion
    1/4 cup sour cream 1/2 tsp. sherry

    In bowl, pour heated water over coarsely chopped Morels and let sit for 15 minutes. In sauce pan, lightly saute onion in butter, add contents of spice packet and cook while stirring 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in Morels and their soaking wter followed by the milk, and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add sherry and sour cream just before serving. Serve over pasta or noodles.

     

     

     

     

     

  

 

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