A love letter to wild mushrooms

chanterelles are brat, porcini are demure

Some housekeeping to begin! Since there are many faces here every week: if you like soup, you will (hopefully) love my soup book THERE’S A SOUP FOR THAT, which is available at Waterstones (UK!), on Amazon (most of Europe), and on Blackwells (for free worldwide shipping).

Wild, wild mushrooms

young forager!!!

I could wax poetic about porcini and chanterelles all day long. I haven’t ventured much beyond these two mushrooms, because a) they’re delicious and b) they’re the ones I feel 10000% confident identifying, which helps me avoid the risk of poisoning myself and my loved ones (this happens, surprisingly often!!!!). Stay tuned for more.

Playing hard to get

PSA: I am not a professional! Do your own research before venturing out into the wild and check local laws. When in doubt, have your mushrooms checked - some pharmacies do this!

Wild mushrooms are coveted (and expensive to buy) for a number of reasons. Firstly, since they share a symbiotic relationship with specific hardwood tree roots, they can’t be cultivated. They are truly wild (as opposed to feral, see: my previous letter about feral asparagus). Secondly, they don’t grow year-round: they appear in late summer and stick around through early Fall (depending on temperatures). As for where to find them? A true mushroom hunter never shares their spots. But as you’ll learn below, hardwood and coniferous forests in late summer/early autumn are a good bet.

Porcini

Porcini

Porcini (also known as ceps) are my favourite: an elite mushroom, king of the forest, an elusive mushroom of mystery. They usually grow alone (unless you’re this guy), popping up in the ground of hardwood forests among pine, chestnut, hemlock and spruce trees. Porcini are at their prime when they’re smaller - once they reach a certain size, they tend to become spongey, riddled with worms, and less enjoyable. When they’re small, they have a firm, meaty texture, and a distinct nutty flavour. Chef’s kiss!!!

Chanterelles

Chanterelles

Chanterelles, on the other hand, grow in clusters in mossy, coniferous forests as well as in the grass among low-growing herbs. They often carpet entire forest floors with their instantly recognisable bright yellow caps. They love a sauna: heavy rain followed by a couple of days of bright hot sunshine almost always guarantees chanterelles. Chanterelles have false gills, which can not be separated from their cap. They can be confused with poisonous Jack-o-Lantern mushrooms, which have true gills, meaning that their gills can be separated from the cap. So do your research!!!!

In summary:

Porcini are demure, chanterelles are brat (I won’t elaborate on this).

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RECIPES

Surf & Turf Soup

“Surf and Turf”, soup edition! These brothy noodles combines seaweed and mushrooms for an umami-fuelled bowl of goodness. Borough Broth beef bone broth is fabulous as is, but letting it sit with a small piece of kombu seaweed and a spoonful of miso paste gives it another layer of flavour that goes really well with udon noodles.

I created this recipe for Borough Broth - you can find the full recipe on their website! Not an ad, just directing you to the source :)

Spicy Chanterelle Coconut Soup

(with crunchy chanterelle *tempura*)

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 2 tb coconut oil

• 2 shallots, peeled and chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

• 1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

• 400g chanterelles, cleaned

• 2 tb miso paste

• 250ml vegetable stock

• 250ml coconut milk

To garnish: crispy chanterelles (below), sliced spring onion, chilli crisp, chopped corianer/parsley

Instructions

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened and fragrant, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the cleaned chanterelle mushrooms to the pot. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and have released their moisture, then stir in the miso paste and cook for a few more minutes until super fragrant, and nearly caramelised.

3. Pour in the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 10-15 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld & marry.

4. Blend the soup - you may add more vegetable stock if it’s too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley if desired.

Crispy Chanterelle “Tempura”

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/3 cup corn starch or tapioca starch

• 1 generous pinch each of salt and pepper

• 200g chanterelles

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pan.

2. Add the starch into a bowl and mix in the salt and pepper. Toss the mushrooms in the starch mixture until well coated, then gently transfer into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes on each side, til super crispy.

Chanterelle Knödel

A recipe from last year, find it here!

“CONCEPTS OF A RECIPE”

This section is what it says on the tin: loose suggestions, vague ideas. But unlike concepts of a plan, these concepts of a recipe are fun and delicious.

Fried Eggs

Chanterelles sauteed with a shallot and butter with fried eggs, topped with lots of chives and parsley.

Focaccia

Top your next focaccia with chanterelles. I swear by Sarah Jampel's recipe!!!

Pizza

As a relatively new owner of an Ooni pizza oven, I had a lot of fun experimenting this summer. My favourite dough recipe is this one. I made a white pizza topped with chanterelles to go with roasted tomato soup and it was wonderful.

Risotto

Use your favourite base risotto recipe and add in mushrooms. My favourite way to do this is to use dehydrated porcini for the stock and body of the risotto, and fresh thinly sliced and fried porcini on top.

Hemp Seed Schnitzel

Prepare a larger porcini like a schnitzel, but replace the breadcrumbs with hemp seeds.

With Butter and Salt

Saving the undisputed best for last: a perfect tiny porcini cut into slivers and sauteed in butter until golden and crispy. Perfection!!!!

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Hope you enjoyed this - happy foraging or cooking!