Wonderful, highly versatile and enjoyed by almost everyone, it is often forgotten that mushrooms are fungi.  In Autumn especially, one looks forward to  mushrooms such as porcini found in our wooded areas of Europe.  However, most mushroom varieties appearing in the green grocer shops have been commercially produced.  So much is written about the mushroom, handling, its use in the kitchen, that I have devoted quite a lot of space to them in my cookbook "Welcome To My Kitchen".  Following are excerpts from those pages.  Click here to go to mushroom tips.  See the Recipe Collection for recipes!

Fresh mushrooms... 
· never wash them, so say the gurus of such things. They should be brushed gently with a special soft brush then processed. 

· should be treated gently. True. But my conscience insists that I do rinse them after 
cutting away a hard stem end or blemish. Just be careful that you never submerge them in water or turn them upside down so that water gets into the cap. A quick rinse, cap up, under running water and immediate drying will do. 

· don’t require a special brush that takes up yet more space in your kitchen. 

· survive slicing with an egg slicer or vegetable slicer. 

· are wonderful raw in salads and have a very different taste when cooked, making them 
very versatile. Surprisingly, many people have never experienced the taste of raw

mushrooms. (Champignon and Grimini). 

· in general, (Champignons or Grimini) need only to be sautéed 2 minutes or so in butter or oil, usually with the onions or shallots. Add whatever dry ingredients required in recipe. 

Stir before adding wine, broth or water and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, uncovered, 
depending on thickness of slice. This also allows the alcohol in the wine to evaporate. 
Overcooking (like Grandma used to do) makes for tough mushrooms (unless otherwise 
specified in recipe). 

Dried mushrooms... 

. have a very intense aroma and a little goes a long way.  They can be stored for up to 2 years without much loss in flavour.

· should be washed well to remove all traces of sand. As a general rule, soak at least 30 minutes in hot water. 

· when soaked for 2 hours or so make a wonderful base for mushroom sauce (add thinly sliced, sautéed fresh ones) or soup (blend with beef or vegetable bouillon). Be sure to strain the soaking water through several layers of cheese cloth to remove last traces of sand. Discard the dried mushrooms when soaked so long as all their flavour will be in the liquid otherwise when soaked for a short time, chop or mince for use in a recipe. 

· done yourself are easy. See ‘A few tips’. 

Canned mushrooms... 

· have no purpose in life other than to irritate, by their very invention, cooks who savour the taste of fresh/dried mushrooms. For the lazy or pressed for time: if you really don’t have the few minutes more necessary to sauté a few or soak dried mushrooms, plan a different meal without them. Canned tastes canned...terrible. 

· have a high sodium content as well as preservatives necessary for the canning process, altering the taste considerably. 

Equivalents: 

per person serving 250g. to 375g. 

fresh, 250 g. 6 large or 10-11 medium 
15-20 small 
approx. 1 c. cooked 
approx. 2 1/2 c. sliced. 

dried, 45 g. 250 g. fresh

Champignons (Fr.) are small to large pale cream to white mushrooms and are commonly found in most markets. The smaller ones are often with closed caps while the larger ones, also suitable for stuffing, reveal brownish gills. They can be thinly sliced and used raw for salads or garnishes. (Shahm-peenjOHN. The ‘nj’ as in a Spanish ‘ñ’. Germans use this French pronunciation as well whereas the English and Americans refer to them simply as Small White and Large White mushrooms.) 

Grimini (Ital.) are also small to large, resemble champignons but are rather brownish in colour and have a stronger taste. I prefer these for most sauces.

Oyster mushrooms, perhaps the most elegant of the mushrooms, do not in any way resemble a an oyster or a mushroom as one would expect. They are rather eccentric appearing, resembling large, ruffled, partially open, light tan to grey coloured fans. Growing sideways in irregular clusters, they are rather flat with gills on one side. These cannot be mistaken for a poisonous cousin.  Look for them in gourmet markets or a good Italian one. They are tender, wonderful and are complimented by sage. Tear the larger ones into smaller sections so that all is relatively uniform before cooking.  The Italians call these Oreccio (Ore-EH-chee-oh, meaning ears) and the Germans, Austernpilze (Ow-stairn-pilltz-eh - meaning oyster mushrooms).  These mushrooms grill very well and because of their shape hold breading (using egg first) well when fried.  But do try them grilled.  Very memorable!

Porcini - (Ital.) have brown to maroon coloured caps and thick, rather bulbous stems and are often found growing under chestnut trees. They have no 'gills', but appear under the cap like a fine pored sponge. They range from small to hand size and are found in the early fall. Rinse them especially briefly under running water to avoid any water soaking into the under cap. This excellent mushroom is a delight fresh if you can get them in the Autumn season, otherwise a good Italian food market will surely carry the dried ones. And it is well worth having a supply on hand.  One of the favourite mushrooms of choice in Italian cooking, equally beloved by the Germans who call them Steinpilze (ShtEYEn-pilltz-eh) or Cèpe in French.    

Considered the King of Mushrooms, 'boletus edulis - latin', certainly by the Polish and by most European and East European countries, it shares similar cult status as with asparagus.  That is, a whole folk awaits in anticipation of the appearance of the first porcini after a good rainfall from early Autumn on until the first frost.  

In the early morning hours, clusters and solitary figures are seen searching the forests just as dawn begins to lighten the sky for the delicacies, with the most experienced knowing where they usually grow, shyly appearing in brown camouflage from under Autumn's carpet of rust coloured leaves. Few but the best of friends share the exact locations of particularly good finds.  

Restaurants vie with each other with exquisite and unusual recipes to the delight of all.  Yes, very similar to the much awaited asparagus season in Spring with the exception that one doesn't go hunting for them - unless your area has wild ones like here in Spain.

There are of course many other exotic varieties that are difficult to find and that you can probably live without - once you have experienced porcini, brown and white champignons, oyster, shitake and morels. One exception would be the Chanterelle (Ger. Pfefferlinge) cantharellus civarius, an expensive, delicate, petite, yellowish mushroom with a frilly appearance. Add near end of cooking as they become tough quickly. They are wonderful smothering something in a delicious cream sauce! 

Then there is the Truffle, an underground mushroom, rare and hunted by specially trained pigs or dogs. Part of their mystique is that they are extremely difficult to find and many a French farmer has his technique for finding them, flourished with fantastic fables. Mother Nature reigns exclusively over this realm; for some reason they cannot be commercially grown hence they are exorbitantly priced. They command between $200 upwards for black ones to mythical prices such as $500-$750 for one or two white truffles which are usually found in Italy.  If saffron is the world's most expensive spice, vanilla the most expensive flavouring, then truffel is the world's most expensive cooking ingredient.

Personally, I CAN live without them. And in my opinion, much ado about nothing much. (I am sure this horrifies the advocates of haut cuisine, but I offer no apologies.) I suspect if they were as common as champignons, there would be not much ado about them. True, they do have a rather unique slightly earthy taste and the white ones have a distinct much sought after, garlic taste. Garlic IS cheaper, folks. Invest instead in a bottle of high grade olive oil with truffel. A few drops go a long way.    

Though wine snobbery is a phenomenon attributed to the English and not the French - who as a whole, look at wine far more realistically - the whole truffle mystique is uniquely a French phenomenon.  The high price you pay is for the labour intense search for them and common (marketing) sense - that what is difficult to find, human nature will want it.  Create a mystique around it, and consumers will not want to be left out of the elitist's club.  Personally, I never joined and my culinary life and experiences have fared well without them.  

Caviar, truffles and whether vanilla or strawberry is all in the end, a matter of individual taste.  Again, in my opinion, don't join the 'club' out of elitist notions but because you sincerely LIKE this or that.

Have I ever really given them a chance?  Yes.  From some of the best in the Provence, Monaco and in Belgium - omelets, sauces, spreads, fillings.  Sometimes undetectable other times still only registering a passing note - each time leaving me with a feeling of waiting for the punch line of a joke.  Decide for yourself if the price and the hype is worth it all.

battered - In tempura, a wonderful change. 

braised - Mushrooms toughen with long cooking.  Add to the braising meat near the end of the cooking time. Add a little broth (about 1 cm., lid and lower heat.  Add more broth as needed until done.

filled - Then grilled, especially the larger varieties,  is a classic way to serve them.

grilled - Best with the meatier mushrooms such as champignon, porcini and especially oyster mushrooms.  Use a pump spray to distribute a little olive oil just before placing on the hot grill.

ravioli - Excellent as a classic filling.

rice - Mushroom risotto is an unforgettable Italian classic.  Use in any other rice dish as well.

steamed - Steam or cook with very little water or broth.

salad - Use champignon or grimini varieties, drizzle with a little mild olive oil and balsamic vinegar or lemon.  Sautéed or grilled oyster mushrooms served warm over lamb's lettuce or rucola (rocket) salad is very fine.  Just grate over pepper and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Finely sliced spring onion and a few tomato slices are colourful garnishes.

sauces and gravies - A favourite, use the water from soaking dried and continue as you would any other sauce.  Add sliced or minced fresh, sautéed mushrooms at the end.

sautéed - In butter or olive oil, slice or cut into thick or thin slices or quartered.  When sautéing, you will note that they quickly absorb the butter or olive oil.  Unless you wish to add more fat, do not worry.  Stir them about, turn and allow them to reabsorb their juices.

soup - Use the soaking water from dried mushroom such as porcini and blend with chicken broth or other favourite broth.  Cream for a cream soup is not necessary - use evaporated instead.  Stir a little into the finished soup.  Thicken if necessary with cornflour (cornstarch) flour.  A little splash of cognac just before serving is a ever so delicious!

A few tips... (excerpt from my cookbook "Welcome to My Kitchen!"

· Grandmother’s recipes may have insisted that mushrooms be peeled before use... supposedly to make them more digestible or ‘cleaner’. Granny’s mushrooms were probable heavy on the stomach because she cooked them too long which toughens up the proteins. (Much like over boiling an egg will make the white tough and difficult to digest. Peel only the older ones that are no longer white and whose caps have opened, if you wish. They will be white again. Just clean them gently and don’t overcook. 

·  Although many recipes call for it, try cooking mushrooms without onions as these can distract from their unique flavour.  A little garlic, yes - which seems to have a natural affinity to them.

· Sprinkle sliced mushrooms with lemon juice to keep them white before sautéing or for use in salads. 

· Today’s Champignons are commercially grown under extremely clean and controlled environments. Even the dirt is clean. Any other mushrooms (especially fresh Porcini) are usually seasonally harvested. Do be sure to inspect them carefully and do cut open even the smallest. They may have a critter or two in residence. Less problematic with stowaways are Oyster and Chanterelle mushrooms. 

See Recipe Collection for more recipes!

Join the update list and never miss what's new on the site!