Mushrooms

Today we are going to discuss mushrooms even though April is National Poetry Month. I love mushrooms. I love shopping at Albertson's because I get a discount. Albertson's only has two kinds of mushrooms; white and portobello. And before you say, "Wait! They also have cremini!", let me say that cremini are baby portobellos and are sometimes sold as such. Now, Fred Meyer and Whole Market often carry fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms; Pike Place fruit stands will usually have a nice selection as well (morels if you're lucky!). If you're feeling really adventurous, hit up Uwajimaya and get some fresh enoki from their produce section. I also know of a produce stand in Snohomish that sells fresh chanterelles in the fall for a great price!

In selecting mushrooms, in general you want to look for ones with closed caps and no exposed gills unless you're buying the big portobellos or mushrooms for stuffing. I prefer paper bags for transport and storage but I also will buy the packaged sliced white mushrooms in the little Styrofoam & cling-wrap containers if they're on sale and if I'm using the flavor for a base. Now, a matter of contention--to wash or not to wash? Let me just say, mushrooms are fungus. Fungus grows in the dark. In manure. Do you really think that the mushroom growers carefully pick and then brush each mushroom as they pack it? No. They don't get paid enough. WASH THEM. Mushrooms absorb an negligible amount of water, and I mean less than an ounce per pound and as long as you pat them dry, store them some place cool and dry, then use them within a few days, they'll be fine and won't melt into a nasty smelling mess in your vegetable drawer.

While mushrooms don't absorb much water, they do soak up an incredible amount of fats--butter and olive oil when sauteing, for example. They can be flavored with any variety of herbs, added to omelets, in cream sauces like chicken Alfredo and baked into quiches. They roast well as in stuffed mushroom caps, hold up on the grill like portobellos, add an nice dimension to stews and stocks and come in all kinds of cool shapes. White or button mushrooms are quite mild as are oyster mushrooms while shiitakes and cremini/portbellos have a deeper, earthier flavor. Other than trimming the ends of the stems, use the entire mushroom--cap and stem. Why not? You paid for it and it all taste like mushroom!

I don't have a particular recipe to share; I have a tendency to use mushrooms the way I use onions--as one of my base flavors in cooking and seasoning. As for the mushrooms I named, these are just a few of the more common ones but there is such a variety that if you love mushrooms, try something different next time you walk through the produce section or go to the fruit stand. Asian stores are a great resource; that's where you're more likely to find enoki, oysters and shiitakes if your local store only carries white and portobellos. While "specialty" mushrooms are more expensive per pound, a little goes a long way. Buy a handful, slice them up, saute them in some butter and see what you think. Or, here's a serving suggestion--mix them with the less expensive white mushrooms. It looks sophisticated, even if you're just sauteing them and serving them with a nice grilled steak.

Enjoy your food,

Holly

**note: pictured are shiitakes on the left and oyster mushrooms to the right.