Throwing mushrooms into a sauté pan usually requires a good dose of oil. But good news: There are ways to cut the fat without leaving half your dinner stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Posts with tag mushrooms
Spring Veggies ID Quiz
Can you identify spring vegetables? Take this spring vegetable identification quiz on Slashfood to find out.
Spring Veggies ID Quiz
This spicy, nutty green is also known as
Reserving Mushroom Liquid -- Tip of the Day
Dried mushrooms are a handy ingredient to keep in the pantry, but did you know that the water you use to fluff them up is just as handy?
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NYC Food Film Festival - Know Your Mushrooms
"Hey, hon, let's go see a film about mushrooms tonight."
The words could stop even the most ardent foodie dead in her tracks. Mushrooms -- whether parsed in dry botanical terms in dusty old textbooks or discussed manically by hippies in their "magical" incarnation (click above) -- hold little intrigue for many of us. (Not to mention that whole "Alice in Wonderland thing.")
After an event held by the NYC Food Film Festival on Sunday where we were feted with 'shroom dishes of every stripe (shrimp-stuffed morels; shiitake ice cream ... anyone?) and watched a hilarious film titled "Know Your Mushrooms" (find local screenings here), we consider ourselves schooled. Mycologists, evidently, are ready for their closeups.
Photos, the Flaming Lips and magic mushrooms after the jump.
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Steak aux Champignons - Feast Your Eyes
We're liking the guy behind gorgeous cooking blog No Recipes these days. Because it's Friday and we know you're already plotting a decadent weekend, gaze -- or drool, whatevs-- upon this steak aux champignons, s'il vous plaît. That's "steak with mushrooms" to us Americans, with a dollop of buttery Yukon gold potatoes alongside. The sauce? Oh, you know, shallots, wild shimeji mushrooms and Cognac.
Cognac, folks. Steak and liquor on one plate. Happy Friday.
Shiitake Mushroom and Wasabi-Ricotta Crostini - Feast Your Eyes
Is it just us, or does this look like a canapé Snow White might serve at a party for an assortment of her big-eyed woodland friends and dwarfs? Those mushrooms are practically leaping off the screen, they look so freshly plucked. I bet Disney's tough guys would have scoffed at this chi-chi wasabi-ricotta concoction and gone for burgers and beer instead, though. Not Eating Out In New York (a culinary blog for anyone anywhere) attempted a pretty bold take on a classic appetizer, so let us know if you give it a shot in your kitchen and how it turns out.
Can Mushrooms Strengthen our Immunity?
Based on studies conducted on mice, mushrooms can protect the immune system. But, can they strengthen our immunity? A recent report from Reuters explains that the most common and inexpensive mushroom, the white button mushroom, had the strongest "immune-boosting effects." Dr. Keith Martin of Arizona State University goes as far as stating that these fungi are "powerhouses for boosting the immune system."
Assuming that these studies apply to humans, this is great news for those of you who are already taking mushroom extracts as dietary supplements. Scientific studies also reveal that mushrooms may help increase the immune system's ability to fight tumors. So, just how many mushrooms would we have to consume to reap these health benefits? Martin explains that to get the equivalent amount of mushrooms consumed by the mice in the study, a person would need to eat about 100 grams (3.5 ounces). That's roughly two and a half cups of raw mushrooms -- daily.
It's time to start thinking of the many ways to incorporate mushrooms into your diet. Fellow blogger, Amy McDaniel, recently posted about a delicious dish of jasmine brown rice and barley pilaf with mushrooms and pearl onions. What are some of your favorite mushroom dishes?
Cleaning and Drying Mushrooms - Tip of the Day
Washing dirt off mushrooms can be frustrating and challenging if all you have is a wash cloth. Instead, use a salad spinner to make cleaning and drying mushrooms an easy efficient task.
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Tip of the Day - Be Selective When Buying Mushrooms
Different mushrooms work well with different foods. Find out which mushroom to add to a dish and how to become more selective when purchasing this delectable fungi.
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Grow your own mushrooms!
I had been planning on extolling the virtues of mushroom storage bags. But when I searched Google to try and find the type I use, I didn't include "storage" in my search and came up with mushroom bags of a completely different feather.
Did you know that you can buy special bags full of grains to grow your own? You order a bag, do a little sterile injecting, put it in a warm and dark place, and before you know it, you've got your own little mushroom farm -- enokitake, oyster, shiitake, maitake, morels... All the fungal flavor you could want! Once you get the hang of it, finished indoor patches can be brought outside for further growth on hardwood, and you can experiment with growing 'shrooms outside of the handy bags. You can't get much more local than your own home!
If you want to learn more, I'd suggest starting with ShamanShop.net, which has a ton of information about mushroom growing techniques, how-to's, and specific products. If you're already a mushroom grower, please comment below! I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Tip of the Day: Make your own dried mushrooms
Ever get turned off by the high price of dried mushrooms? If so, make your own!
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In Season: Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
Mushrooms are one of nature's most precious gifts and with the drop in temperature, they're in season! Even with a light cream sauce, the mushrooms truly stand out as the lead roll in this must-add to your collection dish. By using an exotic mushroom blend: a combination of shiitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms- each bite brings a slightly different burst of hearty, rich flavor. Even if you make this dish for 2, don't cut the recipe in half. This dish is just as tasty reheated for leftovers!
Tip: Try to purchase mushrooms that are firm, with a fresh, smooth and dry appearance. A closed veil under the cap indicates a delicate flavor, while an open veil will provide a richer flavor.
Read on for the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine
Continue reading In Season: Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
Box Lunch: Quail egg surprise
For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.
Today's bento comes from the new Love Bento blog. On the right are five homemade stuffed mushroom caps with ground turkey on a bed of cucumbers. On the left, separated from the mushrooms by a little cucumber fence, are jewel-like yellow curried quail eggs nestled in mini cupcake liners, each one decorated with a tiny animal pick.
Novelist poisoned by mushrooms
Nicholas Evans, the author of the best-selling novel "The Horse Whisperer" is recovering in a hospital after eating a highly toxic variety of mushroom.
Evans, his wife, her sister and the sister's husband became sick after cooking and eating Cortinarius speciosissimus mushrooms, which they'd gathered in the woods during a vacation in Scotland. The mushrooms contain kidney toxins; all four received dialysis and were reportedly doing well.
Incidents like this shouldn't scare you off mushroom hunting, especially during prime chanterelle season. Just be VERY sure you know exactly what you're doing. Check out Jonathan's 'Chasing the wild mushrooms' features for more on (non-deadly) mushroom hunting.Baked squash with feta and mushrooms
When I get excited about large amounts of delicious-looking fresh produce for too-cheap-to-refuse prices, I go overboard. Way overboard. My eyes light up, reason goes out the window, and I pick up everything tasty that I lay my eyes on. Sometimes I'm pretty good at coming up with immediate possibilities for the produce, so that I don't have so much that it'll go bad before I get to it. Tomatoes are mentally whipped up into salsa. Potatoes become a nice and creamy potato salad. But sometimes I buy with no clue, just driven by a veggie consumerist hunger.
That's what happened when I picked up a big basket of squash and zucchini over the weekend. I had no idea what I'd do with it, but I had to have them since they were only a few bucks. For once, I'm so glad that I did because I created my first moan-worthy meal in a while. Check it out after the jump.
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