The Magic of Mushrooms
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Photo by Becca Dilley / heavytable.com
One of my favorite memories from Chef Camp (RIP, at least for now) was Midwestern mushroom expert Kathy Yerich (above) leading our campers on a tour of the northern woods, uncovering a mycological treasure trove of stupendous size and variety, ranging all the way from the highly edible chanterelle to the highly poisonous amanita virosa.
It’s easy to go a year (or more!) without thinking about mushrooms as anything other than a highly optional pizza ingredient. But the fact that there is an entire sprawling kingdom of lifeforms sharing our planet - offering sustenance, wiping out under-cautious foragers, breaking down biological material, even serving as material for hats - is magical and dazzling when you put a bit of thought into it.
So: Next time you’re shopping, poke around the mushroom section a little bit and try something new and different. I tried a Lion’s Mane (thanks to my daughter’s instincts, see below for recipe and story) and it widened my view of the culinary powers of these strange and magical lifeforms. And it fed my family for an evening, which is always a success worth savoring.
▪Not even a glancing reference to magic mushrooms. Not even slightly.
Photo by Becca Dilley / heavytable.com