Five Best Ways to Cook Up Mushrooms

It’s mushroom month, so if the cold, dark evenings are getting you down, at least there are wonderful mushroom available in markets around the country.

Here are five easy ways that you can adopt to cook mushrooms:

Prepare mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth- only wash chanterelles and morels under running water because they sometimes have sand in the gills. Make sure you don’t overcook them- and taste before adding salt or pepper

Wild mushrooms are often best left whole, but if you must cut them, don’t use a knife, just gently strip them with your fingers.

1. Spinach And Mushroom Salad
   

   Mix baby spinach or rocket leaves, thinly sliced fresh raw white mushrooms, parmesan shavings, olive oil, black pepper and balsamic vinegar

2. Sautéed Mushrooms With Red Wine Vinegar

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   Sauté shallots in olive oil, add mushrooms then splash red wine vinegar around the sides of the pan. Finally add salt and pepper.

3. No-Pasta Mushroom Lasagna
   

   Layer upturned large flat mushrooms covered with tomato puree, mozzarella, olive oil, black pepper and thyme or basil

4. Rice Salad With Wild Mushrooms
   

   Soak dried porcini in tepid water for 15 minutes then squeeze dry and put liquid aside Cook rice in boiling water, then drain, fry some onion until transparent then add sliced fresh and soaked mushrooms, parsley and salt, mix in the rice and some of the soaking liquid, serve with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon, parsley, chives, salt and pepper.

5. With Garlic and Parsley
   

   Slice large mushrooms or cut small mushrooms into quarters, add to a pan of olive oil, with garlic, finely chopped parsley and salt; cover on a high heat until the juice disappears

NOTE: Clearly not all mushrooms found in the wild are safe to eat. Some wild mushrooms found in the world are safe to eat. Some wild mushrooms are poisonous and toxic. Please consult reference material carefully before picking and eating any wild mushrooms.