Mushroom Season: Chanterelles and Matsutake

A Basket of Chanterelles

It’s The Time Of Woodland Delights!

We are so fortunate that our neighbor Barb keeps us well supplied with fresh mushrooms. Barb learned her gathering skills years ago from another neighbor, Mrs. Kitamoto, an expert mushroom hunter who had buyers coming from Japan for her choice harvest. Mrs. Kitamoto taught Barb where to find mushrooms and always tucked a few sprigs of neighboring plants in her baskets to remind her of the places where they found the best mushrooms. She felt that the mushrooms carried a faint tang of the ferns and mosses they grew among, as well as the “perfume” of nearby huckleberry, salmonberry, and rhododendrons. The picture above shows one of Barb’s baskets, which are always beautifully arranged.

Marvelous Matsutake Mushrooms

This week, Barb also brought some matsutake or pine mushrooms. These are highly appreciated in Japan, and Barb has great stories of times when Japanese buyers flew in at harvest time with weight scales and suitcases full of dollars. Mrs. Kitamoto had her own weight scales and they would bargain back and forth about size, weight, and quality until both parties were satisfied. (Mrs. Kitamoto usually won.)
Distinctively spicy and fragrant, pine mushrooms have a unique flavor which some liken to cinnamon (to me it’s more like coriander). I prefer them in combinations that let that amazing flavor come singing through, so my simple version of the classic Matsutake Mushrooms With Seasoned Rice uses ponzu and plain tofu instead of soy sauce, sake, and fried tofu. (For the unfamiliar, ponzu is a spunky Japanese dipping sauce based on kuzu, a citrus somewhat like a cross between lemon and lime. Ponzu comes in two style, salty like soy sauce or plain like a citrusy vinegar. You’ll find several kinds in Asian markets, but even Safeway carries at least one.)
The firm, succulent matsutake stems can be sliced into buttons with the texture of sea scallops. Indeed, the two partner deliciously in Scallops With Matsutake Mushrooms, my new favorite thing to eat. Of course, these recipes can all be made with chanterelles or any favorite mushrooms.

Here’s a delicious and easy way to enjoy fresh chanterelles or any mushrooms over hot pasta or toasted rustic bread for a quick and simple evening meal.

Italian Style Chanterelles

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 white onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, stemmed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups chanterelles, sliced in ribbons
1/2 cup organic cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a wide shallow pan, heat oil and butter over medium high heat. Add onion, sprinkle with thyme and salt and cook until tender (8-10 minutes). Add mushrooms, reduce heat to medium, cover pan and cook until soft (8-10 minutes). Pour in cream and season to taste with pepper. Serve hot over pasta or toast. Serves at least one.

This gorgeous, spicy Italian chicken pie marries black olives, artichoke hearts, and tender mushrooms with tomatoes and chicken. The only crust is a thin one of fresh bread crumbs, for which I use whole grain rustic bread or a crumbled slice of rosemary diamante.

Italian Chicken Pie With Chanterelles

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 tablespoons kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup artichoke hearts in olive oil, sliced
1 white onion, chopped
2 cups chanterelles or any mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon rosemary, stemmed
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, chopped
2 cups plum or Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (I use a rustic rosemary bread)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a wide shallow pan over medium high heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil and fennel seeds to the fragrance point (about 1 minute). Add olives and cook for 2 minutes. Add artichoke hearts, onion, mushrooms, rosemary and red bell pepper and cook until onion is soft (8-10 minutes). Spoon into a large pie dish and add remaining oil to pan. Return to heat and brown the chicken lightly on all sides. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes, then add to pie dish and toss lightly. Top with bred crumbs and bake at 350 until golden brown and cooked through (30-40 minutes). Serves 4-6.
As long as the chickens are laying, we enjoy light evening meals of simple omelets and a green salad enlivened with snippets of fresh herbs. Here’s a delightful one to try:

Chanterelle Omelet With Fresh Goat Cheese

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
2-3 (about 1 cup) white or golden chanterelles, thinly sliced
1/2 red or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons mild fresh goat cheese, crumbled

In a bowl, combine eggs with ricotta, blend well with a fork, set aside. (In a shallow, wide omelet or frying pan over medium high heat, combine oil, mushrooms, green pepper, and onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook until tender (3-5 minutes). Remove to a plate. Add butter to pan, heat until foamy, then pour in egg mixture and swirl to coat pan. Shake pan lightly, then gently pull back cooked eggs with a spatula to allow runny, uncooked portion to run underneath the cooked part. When center of omelet is lightly set (about 1 minute), cover half the eggs with mushroom mixture and top with goat cheese. Gently fold omelet in half, slide onto a plate, and serve hot. Serves 2.

This classic Japanese dish is easy to make and really lets the subtle flavor of the Matsutake mushrooms shine through. It’s also yummy made with field mushrooms or portobellos as well as chantrelles.

Matsutake Mushrooms With Seasoned Rice

1 cup Japanese or jasmine rice
1-2 (about 2 cups) matsutake mushrooms
1 cup firm tofu, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ponzu vinegar
1 teaspoon ponzu soy sauce OR any soy sauce

Rinse rice until water runs clear, drain. Combine rice with 1 cup water in a rice cooker or saucepan and let stand for 30 minutes. Brush mushrooms clean, peel the stems, and slice thinly lengthwise. Add mushrooms, tofu, and ponzu to the rice, cover lid and start rice cooker (if using saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook until tender, about 20 minutes). Serves 4.

A succulent dish for brunch or dinner, the combination of plump scallops and tender-crisp matsutake mushrooms is addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Scallops With Matsutake Mushrooms

1 cup jasmine rice
2-3 (about 2 cups) Matsutake mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 pound sea scallops, rinsed
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook rice according to package directions. Brush mushrooms clean. Peel the stems and slice crosswise into buttons 1/4 inch thick. Slice the caps thinly. In a frying pan over medium high heat, combine oil, butter, and mushrooms and cook until barely browned (3-5 minutes). Turn and brown the other side. Add onion and peppers, cover pan and cook until barely tender (2-4 minutes). Add scallops and cook for 3 minutes per side, turning once. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over rice. Serves 4.

Another lovely omelet that cooks in a flash yet tastes good enough for company. Serve it with hot biscuits or scones and green tea.

Creamy Matsutake Mushroom Omelet

2-3 (about 2 cups) Matsutake mushrooms
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Brush mushrooms clean, peel the stems, and slice stems and caps thinly. In an omelet or frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and cook until lightly browned on each side, turning once (6-8 minutes). Transfer to a plate, set aside. In a bowl, whisk eggs with 1/4 cup ricotta with a fork until blended, set aside. Add butter to pan, heat until foamy over medium high heat, pour in egg mixture and swirl to coat pan. Shake pan lightly, then gently pull back cooked eggs with a spatula to allow runny, uncooked portion to run underneath the cooked part. When center of omelet is lightly set (1 minute), cover half the omelet with cooked mushrooms and remaining ricotta, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 1 minute. Gently fold omelet in half, slide onto a plate, and serve warm. Serves 2