How to Maximize your use of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are amazing — neither plant nor animal they belong to a kingdom of life all their own.

They come in a wide variety of textures, colours and flavours — from the tough and meaty to the subtle and innocuous and can be used to flavour a dish or simply to add substance and texture to it.

These days you can easily buy a whole range of dried or fresh mushrooms in your local store, but an experienced forager can source an almost year-round supply in their own back yard.

Mushrooms are truly versatile and can be used in an amazing array of dishes. Often various mushroom types can be substituted for meat in just about any dish. Indeed, the Romans and Greeks used them for this very purpose. But, in general, fresh mushrooms do not last long and they become soggy and inedible very quickly. The good news, though is that mushrooms can be preserved quite quickly. If you have mushrooms that are past their best then they can be strung on a string and hung in a warm, dry, spot to dry. Or they can be pickled. Another way of storing is to chop and to fry with onion garlic and herbs to make what the French call a 'duxelle'. Mushrooms fried in this way can be stored by freezing and then can be added to soups, stews or any dish calling for fried mushrooms.

Below you will find two classic mushroom-based dishes. The first incorporating a farmed or shop-bought mushroom and the second incorporating a wild mushroom.

Paupiettes of Veal

Ingredients:
8 thin slices of veal (about 30g each) cut from the loin
60g mushrooms
1 egg
2 small onions, finely chopped
120g bacon, cut into small dice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed&
1 1/2 tbsp julienned lemon zest
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
50g flour
bacon drippings
salt and black pepper
1 tsp thyme leaves
handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method:
Melt the drippings in a pan and use to fry the onions, mushrooms and bacon until nicely coloured (about 8 minutes). Tip into a bowl, allow to cool then mix in the lemon zest, breadcrumbs, parsley, seasonings and 1 egg, beaten. Mix to combine thoroughly and set aside.

Place each piece of veal between two sheets of clingfilm and use a mallet or rolling pin to flatten each piece. Season liberally with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and thyme then lay a little of the stuffing on each slice before rolling-up the meat and securing with a toothpick or tying with butcher's string.
Add some more bacon fat to a pan and use to brown the meat then add just enough water to cover and allow to simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mustard to the sauce then cook for a further 30 minutes at a very low simmer.

You should end-up with a creamy sauce. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.


Medallions of Veal with Morel Sauce

Ingredients
675g veal loin cut into 1.5cm thick slices

2 tbsp olive oil
120g fresh morels, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely minced
250ml fresh Hollandaise sauce

120ml double cream
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Mix the hollandaise sauce with the cream in a bowl and set over a pot of hot (but not boiling) water to keep warm.

Meanwhile, add half the oil to a large frying pan, season the veal and fry the medallions to brown on each side (about 3 minutes or cooking per side). Remove to a plate and keep warm in an oven.

Add he remaining oil to the pan and use to cook the onions until soft and beginning to brown. At this point add the morels and cook for about 6 minutes (or until softened). Season with salt and black pepper then tip the morel mixture into the Hollandaise sauce.

Plate-out the veal medallions and spoon over the sauce before serving.

I hope that these recipes have given you ideas for mushroom recipes and that you want to find out more about what you can do with both wild and cultivated mushrooms.

About the Author

Dyfed runs the Celtnet Recipes where you can find many more Mushroom Recipes. If these recipes have piqued your interest then you should find out more about Wild Food Recipes.