How To Cook Mushrooms

In cooking, mushrooms like fish, should be used as soon as possible, because they spoil very quickly. Even mushrooms of excellent quality and healthy at the time they are picked can give trouble when they are not so fresh any longer or when one waits a long time before cooking them. Mushrooms should be consumed no latter than twenty-four hours after it is picked.

As soon as a mushroom loses its natural odor and color, it should be thrown away without regrets. It is recommended to clean the mushrooms immediately after picking them.

To make mushroom salad one should use only unripe mushroom; they should be left to soak for some time in the seasoning; if you want to add some aromatic herb use a knife to chop it, not a machine.

You could cook mushrooms using this method on your trips through the countryside. You should use fleshy mushrooms, not fibrous ones. Spit them on a green, thin, decorticated branch and cook them on nonsmoking embers. From time to time baste them with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and, at the end, with some pepper. The Russula cirescens mushrooms prepared this way is quite delicious.

This recipe is very good for lepiotas mushrooms of large size, some Lactarius mushrooms, such as the Lactarius delicious and Lactarius sanguifluus and for the Russula virescens mushrooms. The stalks should be either discarded or cooked separately, instead of a grill, you can use the hot plate of a charcoal stove or an iron frying pan on a gas range. The mushrooms should be dipped into hot, melted butter, until they are well soaked with it. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place them on the grill, lamellae side up for a few minuted; then turn them on the other side, again for a few minutes. Sometimes instead of a few minutes, a few seconds will be sufficient. Serve them immediately.

You can cook this way only the most tender species, such as coprinus comatus, Russula aurata, Psalliota compestris, Lyophyllum Georgii, Lycoperdon maximum. Slice the mushroom, dip them in beaten eggs, then in a mixture of bread crumbs and finely grated cheese. Fry in hot oil for a few minutes.

All mushrooms can be cooked using this recipe with the exception of all species of Lactarius, which would dissolve into a mush, and Russula, which become very hard. Heat a mixture of oil and butter in equal parts and add some small onions. Then add the mushrooms. Cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes, uncovered; then for another 25 minutes, covered, at low heat. Shortly before taking them off the fire, sprinkle with minced parsley (Chopped with a chopping knife, not with a machine). Variation: After the first five minutes. you can add some tomatoes or some diluted tomato sauce. Variation: If you do not add tomato and parsley, you can pour some white. dry wine on the mushrooms. Variation: if no tomato, parsley, or wine has been added. you can pour the mushrooms. after cooking, on eggs frying in butter; add some bread crumbs and grated cheese and cook for another five minutes in the oven. NO matter how you cook them, do not forget the salt.

Cut the mushrooms in slices about one centimeter thick and cook them in a mixture of oil and butter, in equal parts, with some garlic cloves. not cut but squashed. To keep them moist, add some broth as the water given out by the mushrooms evaporates. Or instead of both you can use a meat sauce or meat bouillon of good quality dissolved in warm water. Add salt as necessary and, if you like it , some pepper.

One should use mushrooms with fleshy caps of large size, such as edible species of Boletus, Psalliota, Amanita. Cut off the stem and dig a hole in the cap. Fill the hole with stuffing prepared by mixing the minced stems with oil, bread crumbs, parsley, pepper and salt. Add some butter. Cook in an oven or, at least, covered. If the mushrooms are selected carefully, about half an hour of cooking should be sufficient.

Cut the mushrooms in small cubes. Cook them in a mixture of oil and butter in equal parts. Then mix with eggs, sausages, ground meat, bread crumbs, a little flour, and enough broth to keep the mixture workable. Prepare small balls. Dip them in beaten eggs and then in bread crumbs. Fry in oil. Besides salt, you can add a little pepper.

Choose good potatoes. Boil them with skins on in salted water. Peel them and cut them into thick slices, but while peeling and cutting the potatoes, take care that they do not cool off too much, because this would make them hard. First place a layer of potato slices on the bottom of a casserole; cover this layer with finely minced mushrooms, bread crumbs, and butter curls; continue to make alternate layers of potato and mushrooms. Sprinkle the top layer with grated cheese. Place the casserole in a hot oven until you have a nice, golden crust. But don't forget the salt.

Only for mushrooms of very good quality. Cover the bottom of a casserole with oil and melted butter. Place a first layer of mushrooms. Cover the mushrooms with slices of Fontina or some other soft melting cheese. Make several layers alternating with mushrooms and Fontina. Cook at low heat to allow the cheese to melt; otherwise the cheese could harden. Halfway through cooking, add some milk or cream. This fondue of mushrooms with Fontina is to be served very hot, as soon as you have a light, bread color crust on top. NO other ingredients are required; as usual, salt is necessary, but in lesser quantity than for other recipes since the cheese is already salted.

Use mushrooms of medium size. Sprinkle salt on them and let them stand salted for a day or two. Throw away the juice given out. Sprinkle with mustard seeds, clove, ginger, black pepper and as many spices as you like; bring to boil. Let it stand for 15 days. Drain well. They are ready for use, as hot seasoning, for well armored throats, such as those of sailors.

This is a Japanese recipe; it is used for the preparation of the Matsutake mushroom, which is similar, perhaps identical, to the Tricholoma caligatum. But one can use also the Armillaria mellea, the Cantharellus cibarius, the Polyporus pescaprae, or Pleurotus ostreatus. Cut the mushrooms in thin slices; also slice some meat, pork, chicken. Around the mushrooms and the meat, place celery, scallions, green pepper, leeks, in small separate groups. Add soy sauce and some sake, an alcoholic Japanese beverage prepared from rice. Or instead of sake use a strong dry wine. Cook Covered. You can eat this dish with boiled rice, dry. and do not forget the salt.

Clean and cut medium thick slices of mushrooms of the genus Psalliota, that are medium ripe healthy and firm; put some butter in saucepan and as soon as it starts frying briskly add the mushroom slices; sprinkle with salt, and let them cook until they are lightly very, very lightly browned. Then add, in spoonfuls, some Marsala or sherry, in such a quantity as to evaporate quickly. Then add some fresh, unsweetened whipped cream, Stir gently, and let cook for another ten minuted, so that the total cooking time will be about half an hour. Pour the cream with the mushrooms on a plate; cover with slices of toasted bread and on each slice a poached egg, prepared ahead of time, and serve.

Fry some Psalliotas Mushrooms as in the previous recipe, until they are well done. Pour over them some beaten eggs and increase the heat. While the mixture is still soft, add parsley, other aromatic herbs as you wish, and the necessary salt. Stir a little, continue to cook until done, and serve on a warm plate.

Roll in flour as many veal shanks as there are people to serve; place them in a skillet in which you have melted butter (15 grams per person); add salt, pepper, and let them brown. Then sprinkle them with some dry, white wine, one spoonful for each veal shank. Now add some sliced Meadow mushroom 100 grams per person, some minced parsley, and continue to cook for about half an hour, adding some broth if necessary. Cook until done and serve with or without a sprinkle of lemon juice.