Lifestyles

Mushrooms add pizzazz to almost any dish, from scrambled eggs to rice pilaf to vegetable soup. Few ingredients add such great flavor with so little work. In short, they are one of our best allies in the kitchen.

Mushrooms stand out in my memories of fine dinners -- buttery, mint-scented wild mushrooms in puff pastry cases at the celebrated Michel Guerard restaurant in southwest France; aromatic chanterelles and morels with chicken strips and wine sauce at the elegant La Reserve restaurant near Bordeaux; omelets filled with garlic-scented cepes (porcini) at a little cafe in Provence.

At many supermarkets you can find earthy, brownish large-stemmed porcini, delicate yellow-orange chanterelles, larger orange-red lobster mushrooms, thin, tender enoki, meaty brown shiitake, trumpet-shaped oyster mushrooms that come in clumps, mysterious looking, intensely flavored brown morels with a honeycomb shape, and plate-size portobellos. White button mushrooms also have a brown cousin called cremini, which is actually the small form of the portobello. Visit ethnic markets and you'll find even more varieties.

With their meaty texture and satisfying flavor, mushrooms have long been a favorite of vegetarians and frugal cooks looking for meat substitutes. Robin Robertson, author of "Vegan Planet," makes butternut squash and wild mushroom lasagna composed of layers of the sauteed vegetables and lasagna noodles, baked with vegan mozzarella cheese. Fillings of chopped or sliced mushrooms are wonderful in crepes and all sorts of pastries, accompanied by a mushroom sauce.

Mushrooms enhance stuffings of all types, whether meaty or vegetarian, and taste great when stuffed with spinach puree, garlic butter, ground meat filling or cheese-flavored breadcrumb stuffing.

A few mushrooms can lend a wonderful aroma and flavor to a sauce or soup.

Mushrooms are good partners for steak, chicken, fish, rice, vegetables and just about every food. They can even flavor desserts! Indeed, mushroom ice cream is the specialty of an ice cream parlor in Fort Bragg, Calif.

Mushrooms are easy to prepare because they cook so quickly -- in a few minutes. The only reason for stewing them longer is to add extra flavor to a sauce.

At the market, choose mushrooms that are free of soft spots, bruises and mold. Button mushrooms with firm, closed caps will keep the longest. Exotic mushrooms should not be wet but should not be dried out around the edges either.

Buying sliced mushrooms saves time, but whole ones keep better. And for most uses, I prefer thicker slices than those in the packages. In any case, slicing mushrooms takes very little time; the easiest way is to cut them in half from top to bottom, then put them cut side down on the cutting board and cut each in half slices.

Button mushrooms keep up to five days; exotic mushrooms are more perishable and should be used within three days. It's important to keep them dry; do not leave them in a plastic bag. You can keep them in a paper bag in the refrigerator, or, if they seem to be getting too dry, put the paper bag inside a perforated plastic bag and leave the end open. I find they keep better on a refrigerator shelf than in a drawer.

Dried mushrooms keep for months, according to Jack Czarnecki, author of "Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery," but not indefinitely. Although they might seem more expensive than fresh ones, he writes, it takes 100 pounds of fresh mushrooms to yield 10 pounds dried. Besides, their flavor is concentrated and so you need only a small amount in a dish. You can add a few to any fresh mushroom sauce or soup to intensify its flavor.

Clean mushrooms attentively just before cooking them. It's best not to submerge them in water, unless you have morels that are very sandy. The chefs I studied with in Paris simply rinsed each mushroom carefully and rubbed it gently to remove any sand. Delicate exotic mushrooms can be rubbed with a damp paper towel instead, so they don't lose flavor. Check the mushrooms to be sure no sand or grit remains, and trim off the bottom part of the stem if it is dry or dirty.

To reconstitute dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes or until pliable. You can use the soaking liquid in a sauce or soup, but don't add the sandy part at the bottom of the bowl.

---

Mushrooms with Red Peppers, Cumin and Thyme

---

This quick dish is my one of my favorite ways to prepare button mushrooms. The flavorings of cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper give the mushrooms a Middle Eastern accent. Serve them as an appetizer with pita or Italian sesame bread, as a main course with rice or couscous, or as a side dish with any entree, from sauteed shrimp to grilled lamb chops to roast turkey.

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 pound mushrooms, quartered

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Heat oil in large heavy skillet. Add onion and pepper, and saute about 7 minutes over medium heat. Add mushrooms, cumin, thyme, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper, and saute over medium heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Add parsley and remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings as side dish.

---

Shiitake Mushrooms with Sesame Seeds

---

This simple, delicious dish is inspired by a mushroom dish I enjoyed at a vegetarian banquet at the Kuan-Do Buddhist Temple near Taipei, Taiwan. The dried mushrooms are braised with a little soy sauce, rice wine and fresh ginger, then flavored with sesame oil and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. They are delicious hot or cold, as an appetizer or accompaniment for roast chicken, sauteed turkey breast or grilled steak.

The stems of shiitake mushrooms, whether fresh or dried, can be tough. Cut them off and use them to flavor broth, then strain them out before using.

• 20 dried shiitake or Chinese black mushrooms (about 2 ounces)

• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons minced peeled gingerroot

• 2/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock or canned broth

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons rice wine or sherry

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil

1{ 1/2} teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Rinse mushrooms. Soak them in hot water for 1/2 hour. Remove mushrooms, reserving liquid. Rinse again. Cut off stems.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, and stir 15 seconds. Add mushrooms, stock, soy sauce, wine and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender; add 2 or 3 tablespoons water if pan becomes dry. Off heat, add sesame oil and toss. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings.

---

Sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs

---

Exotic mushrooms usually are cooked simply so they keep their wonderful flavor. Sauteing them over high heat keeps their good, almost crunchy texture and imparts a pleasing, toasted flavor. Chanterelles are the most beautiful to use because of their lovely golden-orange color. You can cook lobster mushrooms or fresh shiitake mushrooms the same way.

• 1/2 pound exotic mushrooms, such as chanterelles or shiitake mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 or 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives

Clean mushrooms very gently with damp paper towel. If using shiitake mushrooms, cut off stems, which are tough; you can save them for flavoring broth. If mushrooms are large, cut in bite-size pieces, following the mushroom's shape.

Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute about 3 minutes. When liquid comes out of mushrooms, raise heat to high and saute, tossing often, 2 minutes. When liquid has nearly evaporated, add shallot and saute 1 to 2 more minutes, until mushrooms are lightly browned and tender. Add parsley and tarragon or chives. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

---

Mushroom Medley with Madeira

---

Combine any kind of exotic mushrooms with button mushrooms for this richly flavored stew. Chanterelles, for example, can be used instead of the porcini or shiitake mushrooms. The dish makes a wonderful topping for rice, grilled steaks or poached eggs.

• 1/4 pound fresh porcini (cepes) or shiitake mushrooms

• 1/4 pound button mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 large shallot, minced

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup Madeira

• 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley

Gently rinse mushrooms and dry on paper towels. If using cepes, cut in thin slices. If using shiitake mushrooms, use caps only; thinly slice.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in shallot, then cepes or shiitake mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute, tossing often, about 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are just tender. Remove from pan.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add button mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste, and saute about 3 minutes, or until light brown. Return cepes or shiitake mushrooms to skillet and reheat mushroom mixture until sizzling. Add Madeira and simmer over medium heat, stirring, about 3 minutes, or until it is absorbed by mushrooms. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

---

Braised Chicken with Morel Sauce

---

There is nothing better than chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce, especially when the mushrooms are morels. Asparagus is the perfect accompaniment, with either Basmati rice or fine fresh pasta on the side. Since the sauce is rich and morels are expensive, this is a dish for special occasions. With this festive chicken, I like to serve a good French white Burgundy or a California Chardonnay.

You also can serve this rich sauce with pan-roasted pheasant, squab or quail; for a meatless dish, use vegetable broth, and toss the sauce with lightly cooked asparagus and fettuccine.

• 3/4 to 1 ounce dried morels (about 3/4 cup)

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 small shallots, minced

• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock or low-salt broth

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 3 pounds chicken pieces, patted dry

Soak morels in hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until soft. Rinse and drain thoroughly. Halve any large morels.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add shallots and cook over low heat about 2 minutes or until softened. Add 1/4 cup wine and bring to a boil, stirring. Add 1 cup stock, thyme, morels, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered over moderate heat until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup. Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 7 minutes, or until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.

Season chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil and remaining butter in large heavy skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add leg and thigh pieces and brown lightly. Set on a plate. Add breast and wing pieces to skillet and brown lightly.

Return leg and thigh pieces to skillet. Add chicken juices from plate and remaining wine and stock. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until breast pieces are tender. Transfer them to a platter, cover and keep them warm. Cook remaining chicken 10 minutes more or until tender. Add leg and thigh pieces to platter.

Reheat morel sauce in a saucepan. Skim as much fat as possible from chicken cooking liquid. Boil liquid, stirring, until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Stir into reheated sauce. If necessary, simmer briefly until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve chicken with sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News