Produce
Mushrooms
Also called button mushroom, shiitake, mixed mushrooms, fungus, fungi
Edible fungal fruiting bodies. Button, Swiss brown and portobello are one species at different ages; shiitake, oyster and enoki are different creatures. 'Mixed mushrooms' only works if you pick them on purpose.
Origin
Wild gathering is ancient; button mushrooms were cultivated in Europe and shiitake in East Asia. Wild porcini and morels remain a seasonal exception.
Flavour
Savoury, sometimes smoky once browned. Raw button mushrooms taste of damp earth. Fresh shiitake brings dried-wood depth; dried shiitake is stronger still.
How to use it
High heat, room in the pan, salt late if you want colour. Pile them in a cold pan and they stew in their own juice and never brown. A film of oil or a knob of butter is enough — they release liquid, then take colour once that cooks off. Wipe rather than soaking them. Substitute them for minced meat only if you brown them hard and season them as you would the meat — under-salted fungi taste of hospital.
Storage
Paper bag in the fridge, not sealed plastic — they sweat and rot. Dried mushrooms keep months airtight and dark.
Recipes using it
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