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| The "Woodsy Muse" Enchants the Mushrooms |
It was over 20 years ago, when I learned that one mushroom could suffice for dinner.
We were traveling in Calabria in Southern Italy, and as usual, we chose the unknown route to our destination. Ascending the Aspromonte range seemed like a good challenge and, perhaps, crossing the Mont Alto Pass, the highest point, would give us a short cut to the Ionian coast.
For awhile, the rugged ascent was pleasant. When we encountered a farmer and his goat along the way, we stopped him to inquire whether or not it was actually possible to reach the other side through the pass. He hesitated, but then replied, "Si, ma guarda!" Yes, but be careful, he warned, there are two dangers, the mushroom pickers and the road.
Mushroom pickers, dangerous? How could that be? Would they try to feed us poisonous mushrooms? Soon, we saw baskets of wild mushrooms scattered along the roadside...and they were guarded by dogs and some human guards had guns.The mushrooms were treasures and so were the pickers' locations. Every now and then a head would appear only to quickly disappear among the trees and bushes. The mushroom pickers, jealously protective of their picking territory, were checking to ensure that we were indeed just passersby and not competitive spies! We hastened along.
The descent revealed the second danger, the so-called road. It was intended for mules only! Cars were not meant to travel that narrow, dirt path. We encountered heart-stopping views from precipitous cliffs while rounding hairpin turns. My husband maneuvered admirably, and slowly, as we shunned boulders and other debris while winding our way to the bottom. I closed my eyes as much as possible! Miraculously, we reached a dried riverbed, passed through someone's back yard and drove onto a mercifully flat, paved road. I'd recommend a donkey or another route.
Holding to the main roads for the remainder of the trip, we stopped at what was then, a dingy, but animated town, Castrovillari.* It was here in a little restaurant in the middle of town that we discovered why the mountain folk guarded and prized their mushrooms so fiercely. We experienced a meal to rival the best with a mushroom as it's centerpiece!
It began with the daily pasta, homemade cavatelli with eggplant, tomato, ricotta and several fresh herbs. It was light and zesty. Second was a grilled wild mushroom..it covered the entire plate. It was grilled to perfection with olive oil, garlic and parsley and was as rich as any beefsteak. I tried so hard to find out what is was, but was told, Cardoncello, "mushroom of the mountains" which means nothing. That too, was a guarded secret, but what a delicious secret!
Our mushroom was followed by a salad of fresh fennel and oranges and we enjoyed a light fruity red wine, Lachryma di Castrovillari with it all. Dessert was a fresh, peeled pear stuffed with mascarpone with nuts and honey! Espresso and a local digestivo, redolent of herbs and orange completed our feast.
*The town may now be a bright tourist destination as are many of the little towns we visited back then.
When I returned home, I tried to find a mushroom which was comparable. A giant portabello is close, but the flavor was even more "meaty" or maybe it's just nostalgia for the setting.
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| Beautiful Mushrooms and Herbs |
Wild mushrooms and fresh herbs can be grilled or sauteed as an appetizer or meal or served over pasta or in a risotto.
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| Fresh Herb,Shiitake and Cremini Risotto |
The following recipe was inspired by the Spinach Mashed Potatoes on the Apron's Menu at Publix last week and my own variations stuffed into a portabello mushroom! It's a great way to use several SunCoast Organics veggies for an appetizer, dinner or a side dish.
STUFFED PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS WITH SPINACH, GARLIC, AND ASIAGO MASHED POTATOES
Cut the stem off the portabellos and scrape the gills
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Make your favorite mashed potatoes, and add a few garlic cloves to the pan. I like to add celery stalks with leaves for flavor, removing them before mashing potatoes or use celery root and mash with potaotes. I use cream cheese, butter and milk and some grated nutmeg.
Use 1 cup of fresh spinach for each mushroom/person and steam or microwave for 1 minute. Add to the potatoes with 3 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese for each mushroom/person.
Chop the mushroom stems and 1 shallot (or more if making 4 or more mushrooms) in 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange mushroom caps on baking pan and fill with mushroom/shallot mixture. Top with potatoes and grate some extra cheese over all.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the mushrooms until browned on top and hot in center. Some people like to bake the mushroom caps for a few minutes, before stuffing, to soften them. If they are extra large, I would recommend this, but for average sized mushrooms, just baking is enough. It usually takes about 25- 30 minutes, longer if larger mushrooms or more than 4.
Mushrooms really are a treasure, but they should be shared!
