Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, Memphis, TN

There's a kind reverence that falls upon the room when you start talking about Gus's.  Everything quiets down, and you have the feeling that other people are leaning in, secretly trying to hear what you have to say about this Memphis tradition.  When the stillness is broken, it's because everyone is pulling on their jacket, piling into their vehicles and heading out to the nearest location. 

But, wait, there's always a wait to be seated at Gus's.  In our case, the hostess/cashier advised us to have a drink at the The Gray Canary situated in the Old Dominick Distillery across the street, and come back in 45 minutes.

SENIORS: Eat your mushrooms

Yes, seniors:  Eat your mushrooms! 

A team from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) published information online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on 12 March 2019 that concluded "seniors who consume more than two standard portions of mushrooms weekly (about 3/4 cup or about 150 grams of cooked mushrooms) may have 50 per cent reduced odds of having mild cognitive impairment (MCI)."

Even the common oyster mushroom may have
beneficial effects when it comes to reducing MCI!

March 2019's Recipe of the Month: Our 2019 Recipe Contest Winner - Chef Yoshiharu Sogi's Cedar Planked Orange Mahi-Mahi & Mushroom Spring Roll with Sweet Chili Soy Dipping Sauce

This is the 12th year of our annual recipe contest, and every year we wonder and worry about how the creativity of recipe submissions to our annual contest can possibly top those of previous years.  Can there really be a recipe that hasn't arrived in our e-mailbox before?  Well, there was certainly a new approach this year, thanks to Chef Yoshiharu Sogi, who presented us with his gustatory delight, Cedar Planked Orange Mahi-Mahi & Mushroom Spring Roll with Sweet Chili Soy Dipping Sauce. 

 

The judges were smitten by the lightly smoked slices of orange marinated mahi-mahi, edamame and mushrooms - we chose shiitakes for their meaty, already slightly smoky flavor - all of which was folded into egg roll wrappers, fried and then smoked again for an even more exotic presentation.  The somewhat sweet and spicy dipping sauce further enhanced these cylindrical, savory rolls of perfection.

 

Perhaps like you, at first the judges were a little anxious about the time that would be required to put these rolls together.  Yet, they quickly found there was no need to be concerned, much to their relief.  For, understandably, they wanted to spend their time eating - not preparing - the egg rolls!

Kudos to Chef Sogi for his
innovative and scrumptious spring rolls!