Give mushrooms a chance
Friday August 22 2008 By Lori Gysel & Gerry Kenter Who doesn’t like mushrooms? Okay, I know some of you don’t like mushrooms— but have you given them a really good chance?  Mushrooms are just one of those great ingredients, like onions and peppers that you can do so much with.
Obviously, raw, on your veggie platter is one option. Stuffed (as per today’s recipe is another option). And there are many different recipes for the stuffing— this is only one!  Sautéed— until they are golden brown and caramelized; eat them on their own or use them to top a steak or burger. Grill them whole with just a drizzle of olive oil and coarse salt. Chop them up and put them in your pasta sauce, omelette, frittata, seafood casserole, spinach salad, chicken pot pie, soup, need I go on?
There are several varieties readily available from the major grocery stores these days. You can usually find white, cremini, portobello, shitake and oyster mushrooms all fresh. You can also usually get a couple of kinds of wild mushrooms in the dried form— most often lobster, chanterelles or a mixed package.
All fresh mushrooms should be purchased when they are firm and of solid colour. Do not buy them if they are spotted, slimy or shrunken looking. Purchase and store them in a paper, not plastic bag. Before using, cut off the bottom of the stem, then clean them off with a damp cloth or a mushroom brush. I tend to be a bit lazy and I do rinse them quickly (and I mean quickly!) under a bit of cold water— but do not soak them in a sink full of water. They will absorb lots of water and will turn mushy when you start to cook them.  
If you are using dried mushrooms, you can reconstitute them by soaking or simmering.  Once they are reconstituted, don’t throw out the soaking liquid. It can provide a lot of flavour to your dish— just strain it through a piece of cheesecloth before adding to your sauce, soup or stew. Dried mushrooms can also be pulverized and used to flavour soups, sauces and stews. They can also be used in this form as a crust for meats—  like beef tenderloin with a wild mushroom crust.
 If you are interested in observing mushrooms in the wild, here in Ontario, you couldn’t have picked a better year. It has been so wet this year that wild mushrooms are springing up everywhere. We were recently camping in Algonquin and we saw more varieties than ever before. However, you must know that many varieties are poisonous. Some cause more damage than others but it can be very serious.  Many cases of mushroom poisoning occur in folks with great intentions, but wrong information and they eat look-alike mushrooms that they thought were safe, but aren’t.  
So by all means, take a stroll in the wild to check them out and look at the beautiful colours (we saw some gorgeous red, orange and yellow ones) but save the eating for the ones you buy at the grocery store!
 Have fun and keep cooking!

Lori and Gerry can be reached at
whatscookin@independentfreepress.com

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