Mmm, Mushrooms…
Written by John Worne
Other countries love ’em, but we’re hardly a nation of fungi connoisseurs. Indeed, mushrooms are a rare treat in our household – I’m the only one who can stand them. Like anything you seldom get, they become a special, even a guilty pleasure.
Setting aside the rarer varieties, the secret of making something of ordinary mushrooms (in my humble opinion) is to cook them twice.
This simple dish of rocket, Parmesan and mushrooms was to die for:
First fry the mushrooms fairly gently with a knob of butter, some chilli flakes and a little olive oil – until they release their liquor, then let them sit with the heat off for 10 mins.
Meanwhile toss some rocket with a glug of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. With a potato peeler add some Parmesan shavings.
Give the mushrooms some heat to bring them to perfection, and just as they are are sizzling add in a little chopped garlic. 30 seconds more in the hot pan and straight onto the rocket and Parmesan.
Gorgeous.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but Paul Stamets’ tedtalk shows the full and extremely relevant complexity of mushrooms and mycelium. A few extracts:
“The largest organism on the planet is a mycelial mat, one cell wall thick.
Four piles saturated with diesel and other petroleum waste: one was a control pile; one pile was treated with enzymes; one pile was treated with bacteria; and our pile we inoculated with mushroom mycelium. The mycelium absorbs the oil. The enzymes remanufactured the hydrocarbons into carbohydrates — fungal sugars.
These are gateway species, vanguard species that open the door for other biological communities.
It’s a mushroom exclusive to the old-growth forest that Dioscorides first described in 65 A.D. as a treatment against consumption. We have three different strains of Agarikon mushrooms highly active against flu viruses.
The mycelium is consumed by the ants, they become mummified, and, boing, a mushroom pops out of their head.
These are a species that we need to join with. I think engaging mycelium can help save the world.”
Keep eating (and growing!) the mushrooms.
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Great stuff Stuart – try Anticancer by David Servan-Schrieber for the Japanese experience of the anti-cancer efficacy of different mushroom types. Who knew?
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