Mushrooms on Toast

This is a classic English dish and it's really easy to see why it's amazing.

Short answer = umami.

The CC has always ranted about the lack of respect given to English cooking.

This is another one of those neglects. It's totally ironic since the recipe is entirely vegetarian and yet it's not well known. In an era of "avocado toast" — which fucking sucks! —  one should be shouting this one from the rooftops.

(If you do put an avocado on top of this, the CC really doesn't need to know in exactly the same way that he really doesn't need to know about your bowel movements!)

What is it?

A vast amount of mushrooms gently roasted in butter to which fresh herbs are added along with a judicious amount of both Worcestershire sauce and cream. The last two with an extraordinarily light hand.

Why does it work?

The insane off-the-charts umami — mushrooms, animal products (= butter + cream), and Worcestershire sauce (which is basically umami-central!) The toast adds all the wonders of the Maillard reaction.

How does it work?

You make some toast and put this stuff on top of it. DUH!!!

Ingredients

(serves 4 (= 8 toasts))

1 lb assorted mushrooms (the more varieties the better!)
2 dried shiitake mushrooms

butter
salt
pepper

thyme
parsley (finely minced)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp cream

Note 1: You can totally substitute the Worcestershire sauce. Its goal is to add umami. Soy sauce will do the trick. Fish sauce will also do the trick. (You'll need a dash of vinegar and pinch of cayenne with the last two alternatives.)

Note 2: The thyme goes well with the mushrooms. Don't get hung up. They wouldn't have been in old England. Chives will work as would most herbs. Tarragon would NOT work. Too much anise flavor.

Note 3: The CC is going to amp this up one more notch by using dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms because why not? Once you grasp the principles, it's hard not to.

Note 4: You can totally gild the lily by adding parmesan. Why not? We've already dialed it up to 17. By all means, go ahead and dial it up to 29.

Note 5: Yes, the barest amount of lemon would rock this dish. The CC knows. One surmises the "limeys" didn't have access to fresh lemons?

Note 6: The CC knows what you are thinking. One pound serves four people? Yep. Talk to me AFTER you make the recipe and everyone wants more.

Recipe

Pour boiling water over the dried shiitake mushrooms. Not too much. After 10 minutes, pull the mushrooms out and filter the water through a paper napkin. Reserve the water.

Cut the reconstituted mushrooms into lengthwise pieces.

Cut the other mushrooms into lengthwise pieces.

Heat the butter until just under foaming. Toss in all the mushrooms and let them reduce at a medium heat. Add the water from the mushrooms. Add the thyme, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cream towards the end and let cook until almost dry.

Salt to taste. (The sauce already has a ton of salt so check before salting.)

Make some toast.

Top the mixture on toast with the minced parsley as topping.

Mushroom Barley Risotto with Late Summer Vegetables

Foraging in Van Cortlandt Park

Best food experience of the CC's life (so far.)

Firstly, there were the wineberries everywhere. A sun-ripe sweet wineberry is the nectar of the gods on a warm sunny hike.



Next up, the golden jackpot! The CC found a large field of golden chanterelles.

Finally, the end result of what the CC did with them.

To borrow a Valley Girl facebook term -- OMG, you guys, OMG!!!!!!

Strozzapreti with chanterelles ♦ Ciabatta ♦ Flat beans with almonds

Mushroom Hunting in Central Park

The CC went mushroom hunting in Central Park with the New York Mycological Society.

Part educational, part forager's dream, we had a great morning.

Here are the CC's edible finds. (Please don't try this without experts around. Many many wild mushrooms are deadly poisonous. Part of the training is to identify the deadly ones.)

The recipe is a classic. Fry some garlic and a hot chilli pepper. Saute the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti and parsley and serve topped with more black pepper and parm.

Purple-Bloom Russula (russula mariae)
Mild and peppery with the texture of oyster mushrooms.

Black-stained Polypore (meripilus sumstinei)
Intensely mushroomy. Can get leathery when older. Needs to be cooked longer. Steak-like texture and taste.

Spaghetti with Wild Mushrooms