Know Your Ingredients and Tools
Mushrooms
I begin this month’s ingredients and tools with a caveat - buyer beware! I say this not to scare you off but to make sure that you know the origin of your mushrooms. With the number of small farmer’s markets cropping up all over the country, it would be wise to make sure that what you are buying is indeed what you expected.
Now having said all of that, I would encourage you, if you have not already discovered the wonderful world of mushrooms, do it now. They are my favorite free food, as in very low in calories, and the flavor is phenomenal. There are a number of varieties of mushrooms that are readily available and the best way to explore their uses and flavor is to try them first hand. You may also want to treat yourself to dinner and order a dish consisting of one that is new to you just to get an idea of what it should taste like.
In the meantime, here is crash course on some popular varieties.
Boletus — This one has rounded, golden caps that top a white stem. These stay light in color when cooked and bears somewhat of an earthy flavor. These are also known by the names ceps, boletes or porcini. They should be purchased and used right away as they tend to spoil very quickly.
Cremini — These are the darker form of the standard white mushroom, but with a fuller flavor. They can be used pretty much the same in recipes as the white variety. They are also known by the names brown or Roman mushrooms.
Chanterelles — This mushroom is shaped like a trumpet , yellowish in color with frilly brown caps. The flavor is very delicate with a slightly fruity aroma. Because of the shape this variety tends to hold a lot of dirt so they must be washed and dried thoroughly. They typically require a bit more time to cook. They are also known by the names gallinaccio, finferlo and cantarello.
Morels — The flavor of this variety is very delicate, earthy and nutty to spicy. The texture is very spongy with a blunt, deeply pitted cone-shaped hollow caps and stems. This variety is typically pale tan to dark brown or sometimes gray. And like chanterelles, they must be washed and dried thoroughly. They are also known by the names morille and spagnole.
Oyster — Named for its oyster shell shaped cap, this mushroom has a creamy-gray colored cap with a short white stem and gills. Found growing on the trunks of trees, they range in size from dime shaped to several inches across. This particular variety usually requires more cooking time. These are also known by the name of oak mushroom.
Portobello — These are nothing more than fully matured cremini mushrooms. They tend to grow rather large although there is what we call baby bellas that are also available in this variety but considerably smaller in size. Their caps are unusually flat and the gills or undersides are completely exposed. The flavor is very woody and typically used in soups and stews, but can also be used in a number of other recipes.
Shitake — With their dark-brown umbrella shaped caps these are pretty distinctive in appearance and very easy to identify. Their flavor is earthy, slightly woody and mimics the flavor of meat. Remove the stems and discard before use.
Truffles — The créme de la créme of the mushroom family, these rounded, knobby, rough-skinned treasures are grown underground and are harvested with the help of specially trained dogs or pigs to sniff them out. They have a very heady, earthy aroma and flavor. Black truffles are considered to finest of all truffles and are associated with having France as its origins. In recent years, the Chinese have discovered this black gold and have begun to infringe on France’s market, however, if you want to absolute best and cost is not a barrier, insist on the French variety. Be careful of discounted black truffles as they are probably imposters of the real deal.
