Mushrooms and Thai food

[richard]

Yes I was dubious at first but survived

Although harvested at night they are meticulously sorted and washed the next morning. I just figured that these villagers had been doing it for generation after generation and knew their stuff

My mother and father used to do the same in the wilds of Yorkshire and I've lived to tell the tale.

Nowadays we are so reliant on clean processed and in some cases tasteless supermarket food we forget how to tell good from bad when in the wilds

[Big Boy]

We've got a few Thai friends back in the UK who harvest the wild mushrooms every autumn. They always find some monsters. Here's one from this year's first batch:

Mushroom.jpg (22.17 KiB) Viewed 1002 times

[Takiap]

Yes I was dubious at first but survived

Although harvested at night they are meticulously sorted and washed the next morning. I just figured that these villagers had been doing it for generation after generation and knew their stuff

My mother and father used to do the same in the wilds of Yorkshire and I've lived to tell the tale.

Nowadays we are so reliant on clean processed and in some cases tasteless supermarket food we forget how to tell good from bad when in the wilds

I agree with you Richard. 99.9% of us have forgotten basic survival skills and rely almost entirely on supermarket foods. I've watched the inlaws picking mushrooms and countless other things, and there is never even the slightest hesitation when it comes to what they can or can't eat. They've gown up doing this, and it's second nature to them, and considering how many people up in the villages reach an impressive age without any help from modern medicine, I would say they pretty much know what they're doing.


As I've said in an earlier reply, I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms, but that's probably because I've not tried all that many. Most of my mushroom eating experiences have been in Thailand, so I can't really comment on them from a western food point of view. When it comes to the ones I've eaten here........if they're soft and tender they're nice; if they resemble old boot leather, then they're black listed.



@ HHF - Yes, I was introduced to those mushrooms when in the UK by a bunch of Jocks who thought it would nice to give me a special treat. A memory I'll never forget - bloody awesome.

[Bamboo Grove]

Autumn in the far north is showing it's best side again. The weather has been very pleasant, around 20 C during the day time. Plenty of mushrooms this year and I have been able to have several lovely Thai food mushroom dishes. This mushroom has had a bonza year and some people have been selling them for 8€ a kilo to a company that exports them to Italy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis

Also this one is plentyful and can be cooked as mushroom stakes, taste a bit like chicken.

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/ ... d~5514.asp

Still too early for these, which are also very delicious in Thai dishes. They will start to appear when the weather gets colder (quite soon)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craterellus_tubaeformis

[christopher1]

I noticed that they had 'portobello' mushrooms in Macro last week.
Looked delicious and reasonably priced...Sadly, there were four in the carton and I don't think that I could've eaten them all!

[Arlo]

I noticed that they had 'portobello' mushrooms in Macro last week.
Looked delicious and reasonably priced...Sadly, there were four in the carton and I don't think that I could've eaten them all!

Portobellos are a great tasting meaty mushroom. Take the stem out and brush both sides of the mushroom with olive oil add salt and pepper and throw it on a hot grill for a little bit and then flip and cook the other side. It's like a veggie steak.

You can also slice up some raw ones and throw them in a pot of spaghetti sauce and they add a great texture to the dish.

Just a couple of ideas, I really love mushrooms and thought I would share.

[crazy88]

Flop a bit of Parma ham on those Portobellos before the blue cheese . Great starter or with a good steak.

Crazy 88

[Zero]

Mushrooms are one the very tastiest things you could ever wish to eat. Porcini's are my absolute favourite, fried up in butter with a smidgeon of garlic - I can't think of any dish i've ever made that produces a better cooking aroma in the kitchen. Serve them up on fresh soda bread and just watch your guests (and your own) reaction. Heaven on a plate.

When I was in Dubai a few of the lads would meet up regularly to play poker. And i'm perhaps the worst poker player on the planet, but i'd always get the call from whoever was hosting the game to come and get taken for a few quid and "oh...can you make some of those mushroom burgers that you do?..."

And they're as simple as simple can be - get hold of good sized portobello mushrooms, remove the woody part of the stalk but don't break the cap. Season and then spoon the gills up with a finely chopped garlic and chilli mixture in olive oil that you've smashed up in a pestle. Seal that off with butter and then top it all off with a big handfuls of grated pecorino or gruyere - pile it on. Slam them into a good hot 210C oven (get a thermometer) and roast for 20-23 mins - keep your eye on them. Make sure the oven tray you use has a good tall lip as a little butter and oil generally drips off during cooking - you don't want that oil on the floor of your oven.

Take them out and transfer onto a mesh and let them rest for 6 or 7 minutes, as the garlic aroma fills the kitchen and they relax - be careful 'shrooms have a high water content and these fella's come out super hot, too hot to eat in fact. Just before serving drench the portobello's with a good squeeze of fresh lemon and transfer onto a little bed of lemon/lettuce salad on your toasted fresh crusty baps. Ciabatta works even better as the bread will soak up some of the juices. A splash of Lee & Perrins and some black pepper finish them off.

I guarantee the reaction you get will be of stunned silence, a few mmm's and aaah's as you witness grown men turn into human teddy bears, devouring the meatiest burgers they have ever tasted. The chilli should give a real lip tingling kick too. You are then hailed as some sort of culinary guru everafter. It's easily the biggest crowd pleaser i've ever known. Totally lethal burgers, a few accompanying potato wedges work well and super cold beer is essential.

Z.

[richard]

Removed an old plant from a pot on my balcony and left the pot and soil alone to await a replacement. In the morning these arrived. Mushrooms or toadstools?

No I'm not going to fry 'em up for breakfast to test

20141030_084114.jpg (33.79 KiB) Viewed 614 times

[sand_dancer]

Yes I was dubious at first but survived

Although harvested at night they are meticulously sorted and washed the next morning. I just figured that these villagers had been doing it for generation after generation and knew their stuff

My mother and father used to do the same in the wilds of Yorkshire and I've lived to tell the tale.

Nowadays we are so reliant on clean processed and in some cases tasteless supermarket food we forget how to tell good from bad when in the wilds

I agree with you Richard. 99.9% of us have forgotten basic survival skills and rely almost entirely on supermarket foods. I've watched the inlaws picking mushrooms and countless other things, and there is never even the slightest hesitation when it comes to what they can or can't eat. They've gown up doing this, and it's second nature to them, and considering how many people up in the villages reach an impressive age without any help from modern medicine, I would say they pretty much know what they're doing.


As I've said in an earlier reply, I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms, but that's probably because I've not tried all that many. Most of my mushroom eating experiences have been in Thailand, so I can't really comment on them from a western food point of view. When it comes to the ones I've eaten here........if they're soft and tender they're nice; if they resemble old boot leather, then they're black listed.



@ HHF - Yes, I was introduced to those mushrooms when in the UK by a bunch of Jocks who thought it would nice to give me a special treat. A memory I'll never forget - bloody awesome.

Magic by name.......

Magic by nature......