Cookin' up them 'shrooms!
Back before I started growing these rarer mushrooms my only experience with cooking them had been to take the cheap ol' buttons or portabellas from the grocery store and either throw them in spaghetti sauce or sliced up in a skillet with butter. It didn't take long to figure out there was an entire encyclopedia of ways to prepare gourmet mushrooms, even when it came to sautéing them!
I originally had planned on making this a handout at last summers farmers market but I never quite got around to it so I thought I would share a couple of different recipes we've found that we really like. I even threw in my super secret Beer Batter recipe!!!
SAUTÉ
Oysters and Chestnuts 1-2 Tbs butter or Olive oil 1 Fresh crushed/minced garlic cloves. Cut to bite size slicing thicker stems thin, cover and cook in skillet over medium to low heat until most of moisture has cooked out. Uncover and continue cooking until edges of mushrooms start to brown and crispy up. Freeze any extra and use in cream or tomato sauces
Lions Manes Tear into small pieces. Sweat out moisture in dry skillet over low heat. Add butter and garlic. Continue cooking until browned, just before removing from skillet squeeze ¼ to ½ lemon over mushrooms. Best on their own or with a cream/alfredo sauce.
DEEP FRIED
Beer Batter recipe – 12 to 16 oz beer(water or milk if you prefer) 1 egg(optional), ¾ cup Flour, ¼ cup corn starch, ½ cup crushed butter and garlic croutons or corn meal, 1/8 cup each garlic powder and pepper, salt to taste. Thicken with additional Flour if needed. Separate mushrooms into bite sized pieces. Coat with batter and drop into hot oil until golden, turning as needed. Serve with Marinara or Ranch.
Oyster Mushroom Stroganoff (found on grocycle.com)
2 tbsp Olive Oil, 1 tbsp Butter, 1 Onion, 2 Cloves Garlic, 7-8 oz Oyster Mushrooms, 3-4 oz Chestnut Mushrooms, 1 tbsp Paprika, 1 tbsp Flour, Glass of White Wine, 10-12 oz Vegetable Stock, 4 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream, Juice of Half a Lemon
Heat the oil and butter in a wide saucepan and fry the onion and garlic gently for 7 minutes until soft and translucent. Chop both types of mushrooms into decent sized chunks and add to the pan, turning the heat up to medium-high. After about 5 mins, add the Paprika and stir well, then add the flour and stir to coat the mushrooms. Add the wine and stir well, deglazing the pan as you go to get all the flavours mixed in. Allow to boil for a minute or two, then add the stock and boil down for around 5 minutes until it begins to thicken. Spoon in the double cream, mix well, allow to heat through. Add the lemon juice and season just before serving. Serve with rice, crusty bread, or tagliatelle pasta.
Pasta With Mushrooms and Prosciutto (found on epicurious.com)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, 1 lb mushrooms torn into bite-size pieces, 2 med chopped shallots, 1 tsp thyme leaves, salt & pepper to taste, 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth, 12 ounces pappardelle or fettuccine, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy pot. Cook Prosciutto until crisp 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Heat remaining oil in same pot. Cook mushrooms, until browned and tender, 5–8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots and 1 tsp. thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until shallots are translucent about 2 minutes. Add stock and reduce heat to low. Bring to a simmer and cook until only a thin layer of stock coats bottom of pot, 5−7 minutes.
Add partially cooked pasta to pot with mushrooms with 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Crumble half of prosciutto into pot. Simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cream, return to a simmer, and cook, tossing, until pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add butter, and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed.