While many mycological societies and festivals cancelled their events this year, not so the Long Beach Peninsula Wild Mushroom Celebration where a fine collection of restaurants are offering mushroom focused dishes. We congratulate them all for persevering in this difficult time, and especially the China Beach Retreat for their wonderful breakfast entrée which we have printed below.
Laurie Andersen (The Shelburne Inn and China Beach Retreat) suggests that it "carries over nicely from breakfast into lunch and dinner. It can be finished in an oven, or flipped and served in a sauté pan by simply adding a couple of tablespoons of water, then covered to contain the steam and finish the cooking." For 2-3 person servings, steam the entrée, for 6 or more, such as the recipe below, finish in the oven.
Pig's Ears (Gomphus clavatus) could be a nice inclusion
in the assorted wild mushrooms option of this entrée.
China Beach Retreat Wild Mushroom Frittata
1 cup peeled, cooked red potato, chopped in small bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Pinch red chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 red and yellow sweet pepper, chopped
1/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 pound Boletus Edulis (also known as King Boletus or Porcini) or assorted wild mushrooms, chopped
12 eggs mixed with 1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Garden herbs: thyme, Italian parsley, and tarragon, finely minced
1/2 cup cheddar and Gruyere Cheese, grated
- Parboil 2-3 small small red potatoes. Peel and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- In an 11" nonstick sauté pan, heat olive oil and add garlic. Sauté until golden. Add chilies, onion, and cubed potatoes. Sauté until soft. In the same pan, sauté sweet peppers and zucchini, then the wild mushrooms. Be careful not to overcook the mushrooms. Remember that the frittata will bake for 1/2 hour in the oven. Don't overcook the vegetables.
- Pour the eggs over the mushroom/vegetable mixture, add salt, pepper, herbs and cheeses, then place the sauté pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.