During a break in the rain recently, I took my dog for a walk through the woods at Minto-Brown Island Park in Salem, and the leaf-strewn ground reminded me of one of the culinary treats to enjoy this time of year: mushrooms.
Farmed mushrooms mean that crimini, portabella, oyster and shiitake are available here year-round, so you can enjoy them anytime.
Besides adding a unique texture to recipes, mushrooms also lend a rich flavor that brings to mind the forest floor that they thrive in: musky, earthy, woody, rich and dark.
Here are three recipes that highlight the rich flavor of mushrooms and create a hearty gut-warming winter meal.
Linguine with beer and mushroom sauce
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
2 quarts chicken, mushroom or beef stock
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms
4 ounces unsalted butter
2 shallots peeled and minced
12 ounces dark beer of your choice
1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon porcini powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan for passing
16 ounces of linguine
Directions
Reduce the stock by half in a large stock pot over medium/low heat so you have 1 quart. While the stock is reducing, clean the mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a damp paper towel. Reconstitute any dried mushrooms in hot water until softened. Strain the water from the reconstituted mushrooms to remove any debris, and add to the stock. Roughly chop all the mushrooms (fresh and reconstituted) into your desired size. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven and sauté the shallots for 2–3 minutes. Add the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt, and sauté for several minutes (8–10) until they release their water and begin to caramelize.
Deglaze the Dutch oven with the beer, and reduce this by half, then add the reduced stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce, porcini powder and thyme, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20–30 minutes. (If you want a thicker sauce, whisk in about 1– 2 teaspoons of cornstarch). Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Ladle over freshly cooked linguine, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve, passing the Parmesan on the side.
Chicken, vegetable, barley, and mushroom soup
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
1 cup barley
4 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, cut into small pieces
1 onion, finely diced
½ pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, chopped
½ pound fresh morel mushrooms, chopped, or 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in 1 cup hot water
½ pound fresh maitake or shiitake mushrooms, chopped
8 cups chicken broth
Meat from half of a rotisserie chicken, removed from bones and shredded
Salt to taste
Directions
Cook barley in salted boiling water according to package instructions. Set aside. In a stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, stirring occasionally until onions begin to turn translucent. Add chopped mushrooms and gently stir until they begin to wilt. Add chicken broth, cooked barley and chicken, and bring to simmer. Add salt to taste, and simmer for half an hour and serve.
Pork saltimbocca with chanterelles in port sauce
Serves 3
Ingredients
6 thin-cut boneless pork sirloin chops
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
8–10 thin slices of prosciutto
2 tablespoons each: olive oil and unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
¾ pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms or any fresh mushroom of your choice sliced
1 pimento or red bell pepper, sliced
All-purpose flour for dusting pork rolls and thickening the sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup port
2 cups warm chicken stock
1 additional pat of unsalted butter
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
Place a chop on the right side of a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to fold over the chop and still contain it after pounding. Place several fresh sage leaves on the pounded chop. Cover the chop and sage leaves with prosciutto. I used about 1½ slices for each chop. Roll the chop up tightly, and place on a plate or tray. In a sauté pan, heat one tablespoon each of the oil and butter over medium-high heat, and begin sautéing the minced shallots, stirring until they soften. Add the chanterelles and continue sautéing until they soften and begin to wilt. Add the peppers and cook until they too soften but don’t lose their color. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add a cup or so of all-purpose flour to a plate for dusting the rolls. Season with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Gently roll the prepared chops in the flour, shake off any excess. Heat one tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place three of the rolls, seam-side down, in the pan, and sauté until browned. If they begin to unroll, hold in place with tongs until the pork begins firming up. Continue to sauté until evenly browned all over. Remove to a plate in a warm oven to keep warm and continue with the remainder of the rolls.
Deglaze the pan with the port while scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the brown caramelized bits. Sprinkle about 2 generous tablespoons all-purpose flour into the pan while whisking constantly to prevent the flour from lumping. Whisk constantly while allowing the flour to cook a bit, about 2 minutes or so. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the warm chicken stock, lower the heat to a simmer and allow to continue to thicken. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in a bit of warm water until right for you. If it’s too thin, slowly whisk in more flour. Whisk in the last pat of butter and then the lemon juice. The butter smooths out the sauce and the lemon juice adds a little brightness. Add the sautéed mushroom mixture to the sauce and stir. Add the pork rolls to the pan, cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Plate or platter the rolls and cover with the sauce. Serve immediately.