Chicken of the Woods
Only use really fresh material, as with eating any wild mushrooms. Do
not attempt to eat if harvested from Yew – no-one seems to be able to
confirm if this matters but it would seem safer to avoid it. Whatever
you decide to do with it cook it thoroughly!
Woodland Casserole
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphurous) is excellent cooked in a
casserole as it does not break up like some mushrooms do. Try cutting it
into chunks and adding it to a mix of vegetables you have to hand; maybe
onions, peppers, courgettes, carrots etc., place in a casserole dish or
slow cooker, season with herbs and spices as you wish and cook through –
maybe 1-2 hours depending on heat source and temperature.
Woodland ‘Coq au Vin’
Use slices of Chicken of the Woods, pre fried in garlic butter and
added to your usual recipe instead of real chicken – an interesting
vegetarian option
Porcini Starters
Make a selection nibbles, all using fresh or dried Porcini, and
impress your friends
Use your favourite savoury scone mix, try adding some finely chopped
dried and reconstituted porcini mushrooms. When cooked, slice in half
across and butter generously with a little garlic or mushroomy butter
(you can buy butter infused with porcini in some specialist
delicatessens. Serve hot or cold.
As above but add a small piece of lightly cooked fresh porcini on top
of the scone, maybe with a little finely chopped parsley sprinkled over.
Blinis – home made or bought ready made, topped with finely chopped
porcini which has been lightly fried with a little garlic and shallot
Choux Puffs – again either home made or bought (you can get them
frozen but make sure they are the savoury ones, not sweet) Make a small
slit in the side of the ‘puff’ and fill with a creamy mushroom mix such
as field/horse mushrooms fried with shallot and garlic and thickened
either with cream or a roux sauce. Serve hot or cold.
Crustini – either make your own like little toasts cooked in the
oven, or buy a packet of ready made. Top with a mix as above and serve
sprinkled with finely chopped parsley or maybe a few chopped chives.
Puffball Breakfast
Slice of Giant Puffball per person
1 egg per person
Vegetable oil for frying
Extras:
Bacon lardons
Truffle Oil to drizzle
Grated cheese
Cut a giant puffball into 1.5 cm slices, take out a circle from the
centre using a scone ring or similar and fry gently on one side until
golden brown. Carefully turn over and continue frying gently, at the
same time cracking an egg into the hole in the centre and lightly
scrambling it with a fork.
Cook until the egg is how you like it.
To serve try topping with a sprinkling of crispy bacon lardons or
maybe a drizzle of truffle oil, or even some grated cheese sprinkled
over.
A 'mixed basket'
of Spring fungi at the BMS Roadshow stand at the RHS Spring Show at
Malvern (see full report in events section)
Mushroom Cobbler
For the filling:
Wild mushrooms – whatever you can find
Oil for frying
1 onion, prepared and chopped roughly
Chicken or vegetable stock
White wine
Plain flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the scone topping:
175g self-raising flour, plus a little extra
90g Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
150 ml milk, plus a little extra for brushing
Few leaves of wild garlic, chopped
Few leaves of hedge garlic, chopped
To make the filling place onion and prepared
mushrooms in a pan with a little oil and/or butter and fry lightly to
soften. Add a spoonful of plain flour and work in well, slowly add
stock to create a thickish sauce, lighten slightly to finish with a slug
of white wine if liked. Season to taste. To make the scone dough mix
the flour with the cheese and season well, add the chopped leaves and
milk, mix the dough lightly with a knife until it comes together in a
rough ball, turn out onto a well floured board and roll out lightly to 2
– 2.5 cm thick, cut into scone shapes and place on a baking sheet in a
hot oven till well risen and cooked through. (Can also be placed on top
of the mushroom mix in an ovenproof dish and baked together.)
If you do not have access to an oven, try baking
the scones on a griddle, but flatten the dough mixture out to no more
than 1 cm thick and cook both sides on either a griddle or heavy based
frypan. Serve with the mushroom mix, maybe with a scattering of finely
chopped garlic leaves on top to add interest.
Mushroom Frittata
A quick, cheat’s recipe, for an easy meal at any
time of the day
Either Wash (peel if necessary) and dice
then lightly boil 2 large potatoes
Or you could use left over potatoes if
wished, roughly chopped
Or grab a couple of large handfuls of
oven-ready chunky chips (does not work so well with skinny chips!)
Put the drained boiled potatoes or the chips (no
need to thaw if frozen) in a non-stick frying pan with a very little
oil, stir in a handful of mushrooms softened with a chopped onion and a
little garlic if wished. Beat together 3 or 4 eggs (depending on size of
pan and how many you are serving), season with salt and pepper, and pour
over the potatoes, mushrooms etc.,. Cook on a moderate heat for about
10 mins or so, until the eggs have started to set, carefully turn over
using a spare plate or tip into another frying pan of similar size, and
continue cooking for another 5 -10 mins until cooked through and gently
firm. Serve hot cut into wedges with crusty bread, fried bacon or maybe
a green salad. Is also great served cold for a picnic with a difference.
You can mix and match this easy recipe by adding
your own favourite ingredients or whatever you may have left over from
another meal.
And another super edible to look out for over
the coming months.............
Sparassis crispa, the Cauliflower Fungus is always a great
find, freezes well and can either be sliced and fried or broken down
into 'florets' and added to soups, sauces etc. Needs careful
washing though, its a favourite home for 'little critters' who also like
to eat it!
