Ok, Veeky Forums, I've got enokis, shittakes, maitakes, bunashimeji (beech mushrooms), and wood ears.
What shall I do with them? I''m leaning towards soup, but feeling a bit clueless as to how best to bring out the flavors, and what to add.
Also mushroom thread!
*prepares to call mother*
Really? No suggestions?
Only mushrooms I like.
remove stems of shiitake, sear evth in small batches in some oil til heavily seared outside, make an awesome salad with whatever you fancy.
risotto is obvious
mushroom soup
pretzel/potatodumplings with creamed mushrooms
>tfw no supermarkets near me that stock any (fresh) mushroom varieties that aren't common white, portabella, and shitake
>i will never be able to use fresh morrels
What state? Unless you're in a desert you should be able to find morels in the spring and you can't really confuse them with any other mushroom.
Now this is my kind of thread!! I eat those same types of mushrooms on a regular basis (like, at least 4-5 times a week).
>Woodears are fantastic sliced thin and used in Mu Shu chicken/pork/vegetables or fried rice and stir fries, or soup. Woodears are very, very healthy for you.
>I like using the beech mushrooms in miso soup or ramen
>Shitakes can be use for so many things, but they're essential (to me, at least) when making broths for soups or stews, since they're so hearty. I also like them in stir fries or marinated and grilled.
>enokis are great for garnishing the top of ramen, soups, salads, anything really. I've even used them in a pita with marinated cucumbers, radishes, carrots, butter lettuce, sweet onion, sesame crusted tofu or chicken, and miso dressing.
OP here: do I need to cook enoki?
Also, I am really feeling like doing something that includes all of them... Or does that muddle the flavors?
Any reccomendations for making a simple rich soup with these varieties?
No, enoki doesn't need to be cooked. If you are adding them to a hot dish, they'll wilt quickly anyway, and if you cook them too long, they just kind of become stringy nothings. So add them at the end of cooking.
No, you can use all of them in one dish, like a mushroom soup or mushroom stir fry. Their flavors all match up well, and they all have slightly different textures, so it adds interest.
stock, mushrooms, veggies, noodles (optional) miso, seasoning, wa la
Mushrooms are the shit. I make shiitake brochettes with bell peppers over wood fire
Yeah, that what I was thinking, but I was even thinking no noodles, because I am feeling pretty obsessive. Any thoughts on cooking times (different for dufferent varieties?)?
I usually saute my mushrooms, sorry for the baby-level questions.
maitake ravioli is really good, especially if you can get some black trumpets to make the sauce. or dried porcini if not
At the store today, I saw "morels", "criminis" and "porcinis". Is there a reason for the quotation marks?
I'd have them with spaghetti, garlic, a bunch of parsley, a sprinkling of thyme, a couple of cherry tomatoes and tossed with a splash of stock.
Saute some onion in butter or oil of your choice until soft, and then add the mushrooms (except for enoki) and saute until they have released their water cooked down. Add some garlic and saute until fragrant. Then, add some rich chicken stock and let it simmer for half and hour or so.
At this point, you can go 2 ways:
>1. finish the rich mushroom soup by adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce (secret ingredient to amp up the savory), some cream and chopped parsley, then salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with minced chives and eat with crusty bread.
>2. To the mushrooms and broth, add kaffir lime leaves (if you can't get those, use the zest and juice of 2 limes), some chili paste, and minced ginger and simmer another 10 minutes. Then add a bunch of chopped scallions, and coconut milk, and bring back to a simmer. Simmer just a few minutes, and then serve.
Oh, forgot to say to add the enoki mushrooms at the end, on top of the finished bowl of soup.
I like this. I may do miso instead of Worcestershire, and I might skip the cream, but otherwise, I think this is my thing.
fresh or dried? you must have some kick ass stores if you're getting fresh morels and porcinis, so im assuming you mean dried?
I think the morels were dried. There were also yellow chanterelles, but not in quotation marks.
This was at Monterey Market in Berkeley, CA.
i like your first approach, but i dont think the finishes would be for me. finish with just a little dry sherry to taste and salt to taste and enjoy.
yeah that makes sense. i can get fresh chants in upscale markets around here sometimes. but they're also the easiest to find growing in season around here. ive had about a 2 pound haul of chants one time.