Mad about Mushrooms . . .

November, 2020's Recipe of the Month: China Beach Retreat's Wild Mushroom Frittata

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.

October, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Sara's Weeknight Meals "Brown & Wild Rice Bowl with Broccoli Pesto and Wild Mushrooms"

Think meatless dishes are boring - au contraire mon ami, think again!

Sara knows exactly how to lift even the simplest of dishes into something elegant and tasty as evidenced by this visually pleasing creation.  Combining brown and wild rice, folding in a handful of the first-of-year wild mushrooms, and topping it all off with Parmigiano-Reggiano.  May I say, that this is a simply divine entree!

Memories of the first-of-the-fall season mushrooms
linger long with us.

September, 2020's Recipe of the Month: MadAboutMacarons.com Cremini Mushroom Cappuccino

Yes, dear reader, there truly is always something new under the sun, and, thanks to Jill Colonna, a Scottish-French author, mum and home cook in Paris since 1992, we now are publishing a recipe for Mushroom Cappuccino which is featured on Jill's website MadAboutMacarons.com.

Yes, it may be a challenge to think of a fungal cappuccino, but such is life:  full of little events that surprise and delight us!  Many thanks, Jill, for enlivening our website with your creativity!

August, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Bon Appetit's Grilled Mushroom Antipasto Salad

I've been experimenting with different mushroom preparations from time to time this summer.  Some were just so-so; others were quite pleasant.  This one was simply delightful:  not only busting with flavors but also with colors and shapes.  It's a real winner for summer or any time of the year!

Bon Appetit in their June, 2020 magazine issue leads into the recipe with the following comment:

"Mushrooms turn into crispy, smoky flavor bombs on the grill,” says Brad Leone. “I keep them in big pieces so they don’t fall between the grates. This dish is basically grilled antipasto. Easy, hearty, and it can stand up to the hot weather if you make it ahead and it’s sitting there on the picnic table or whatever.”

Leone suggests using Maitake
whose name means "dancing" in Japanese.

July, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Dixya Bhattarai's Kwati - a traditional Nepali soup

I am remembering Suman and my other lovely friends in Nepal where I was on assignment with US AID working with Kathmandu mushroom farmers.  Nepali people will soon be celebrating Janai Purnima, a Hindu festival remarkable for family get togethers and feasts of the traditional dish, Kwati, a sprouted bean soup which is significant in Nepali tradition because it provided high protein nourishment for the crop planting season.

My friends in Kathmandu call this festival Gunhi Punhi, and it is one of their most religiously significant occasions.  This year it will be celebrated on August 3rd in both Nepal and in my Oregon home where I will be cooking up this nutritious and quite delicious soup for my special friends and family.

Many thanks to Dixya Bhattarai, the blogger behind the website "Food, Pleasure, Health"  who was born and raised in Kathmandu, for sharing her instant pot recipe for Kwati.  Of course, it is equally delicious when prepared in a pressure cooker or a crock pot, although the cooking time is increased.  When I prepare Kwati in my crock pot, it usually is perfectly cooked in about 4 hours.

And, our sincere apologies to Ms. Bhattarai:  we just had to add some of our mushroom powder, because we are a mushroom focused website and because we worked with mushroom farmers when in Nepal.

By the 3rd day, my beans were sprouting nicely.

June, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Andrew Francisco's Chanterelle Mushrooms, Brie & Hazelnut Toast

I try to keep abreast of new trends in culinary matters, and, as a consequence, you'll frequently find me pursuing the latest issue of one magazine or another.  This activity often reaps enormous benefits, as this recipe which was plucked from 1859 Oregon Magazine, March 2020 issue. 

Sure it seems quite early for a chanterelle recipe, yet experience has taught me that it is never too early to fill my files with recipes for the upcoming fall bounty, especially when the recipe can be attributed to Chef Francisco whom we previously had met at the Oregon Truffle Festival.

Can't wait until fall to create this tasty morsel?  I'm thinking that morels or boletes might be equally enjoyable!

We couldn't resist adapting this lovely recipe to
accommodate the morels we recently gathered-delicious!

May 2020's Recipe of the Month: Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas, Mushroom Powder and Pork Chili

From conversations with family and friends, it seems that this is a time when we are all turning to comfort foods such as soups and stews.  This month we'd like to share one of our favorites which features mushroom powder and black eyed peas. 

Black eyed peas - what are they, you may ask.  Oh, you know, those cute little pale colored legumes with a prominent black spot that you never quite knew what to make with them.  Frankly, they may be the only legume still left on your local grocery store's shevles.   

Alas, legumes, such as black eyed peas, are often overlooked in times of prosperity and plenty.  However, in days such as we are experiencing now, they tend to be elevated and are sought after as simple food that pleases and draws us back to a quieter time in our history. 

We'd like to point out that black eyed peas are not only satisfying and filling, they also pack a powerful nutritional punch, offering calcium, folate, protein, fiber, vitamin A, among other nutrients in a one cup serving, with less than 200 calories.  Now, that's good food, pandemic or no pandemic!

We're mixing mushroom powder with those "cute little beans
with the black spot" to create a unique and delicious chili!

April, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Los Angeles Times' Caramelized Lemon Pasta with Mushrooms and Broccoli

Just leave it to my sweet friend, Barbara, to light up her splendid table the other night with this simple but delicious pasta dish.   Thanks to the creativity of Ben Mims, the cooking columnist with the Los Angeles Times, we feasted on what he proudly calls a "gateway pasta for the new year."   It's not only a very pretty presentation with a multitude of colors but also a healthy choice with which to honor guests.  Many thanks, Barabara, for another remarkable evening of food and friendship.

March, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Our 2020 Recipe Contest Winner Lisa Benoit's Mushroom Meatless Balls with Orange Wasabi Glaze

Lisa Benoit's submission in our annual recipe contest intrigued our judges from the start.  Plant based, hum ... how interesting!  Then, when they tasted the cooked product capped with its wasabi tinted glaze/sauce, they immediately knew that they had a very special winner this year.  Many thanks, Lisa, for your creativity and for the imagination that you displayed in creating this extraordinary entry!

We judges agreed with Lisa that the meatless balls are not just for a first course selection.  We popped them into a rustic roll and then featured them on top of a mound of rice, thereby discovering just how versatile and tasty they are in various presentations!

 

These flavorful morsels easily won
accolades from the judges.

February, 2020's Recipe of the Month: Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lamb

Whoa, can there be any finer recipe for February (or any other month, for that matter) than this one, where the exotic spice, garam masala, brings out the best in the other ingredients - nope, there surely is none. 

If you had the good fortune to have attended the Durant Olive Mill pressing this November and purchased a trio of their oils, be sure to stir one of the oils into this yogurt sauce, thereby pleasing your taste buds to no end.  In my kitchen, there simply is no substitute for Durant's 2019 unfiltered Koroneiki Olio Nuovo evvo, expensive, yes, but simply the ingredient high point of 2019 for me.

Just as 2020 appears to be a magical year, so does this recipe.  It's a magnificent choice for any occasion, turning a seemingly simple meal into a preeminent dining experience.  Trust me, I know, and so does Dona who was my last guest to find Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lamb as the star of our luncheon menu!  She's still praising my culinary skills, thanks to this recipe!