Forager and photographer Andrea Gentl shares everything you need to know about fungi in ‘Cooking with Mushrooms’.
You may have seen mushroomsin your coffeeor as ameat replacement . Perhaps you ’ve even dabbled inmicrodosing , or peradventure your TikTok feed is oversupply withforaging videos . no matter , it ’s clear that multitude appreciate the versatility of kingdom Fungi , so much so that entirecookbooksare consecrated to them . Food and travel photographer and fungi lover Andrea Gentl reveals her “ well - kept secrets ” about the trick of mushroom in her first cookery book , Cooking with Mushrooms .
Gentl has been forage since she was young , starting on her family farm in Western Massachusetts and now in upstate New York . Her new cookery book serve as both a field guide and an ode to the beloved mushroom cloud and all of its transformative properties . As she notes in the beginning of her mushroom pronunciamento : “ Once you start cooking with mushrooms , you will never stop . ”
Shop local for your mushrooms
When she is n’t foraging , Gentl buys her mushrooms from seller at local sodbuster grocery , and she recommend all mushroom - minded consumers do the same . “ Mushrooms do n’t like plastic , and I think that ’s why a plenty of mass have bad touch towards them , because they ’re buying the ones from the supermarket that have been sitting under credit card for who have a go at it how long , ” Gentl order .
More and more grocery stores like Whole Foods , Central Market , and Erewhon are get to sell their mushroom in open basket and bins , so verify to keep an eye out for those .
If you want to take a crack atharvesting your own mushrooms , Gentl propose foragers to first be skilful in identify their mushrooms so they do n’t reap anything confutable . And while you might be seeing people on TikTok forage in their local parks , Gentl take note that it is n’t overbold to forage in city and other place clouded with pollution and other toxins .
Excerpted from Cooking With Mushrooms: A Fungi Lover’s Guide to the World’s Most Versatile, Flavorful, Health-Boosting Ingredients by Andrea Gentl. Artisan Books © 2022.
Know your mushroom types
Lion ’s head of hair has robust seafood notes and a texture that pull into smidge like crabmeat , while rounded - capped porcinis are fabulously earthy and nuts , which is why you ’re probable to find them in Italian knockout . See , no mushroom is entirely likewise ; each variety has its own specific feeling , grain , and savour , and it ’s essential to know their case-by-case purposes .
“ I like to cerebrate about mushrooms in the way that people consider about wine-colored , ” Gentl says . “ I feel like they all have a certain terroir . They have flavor visibility and notes the same way you would let the cat out of the bag about wine or chocolate . ”
It ’s easy to view mushrooms as a only savoury fungus , but a myriad of them have sugared notes of caramel and maple , such as confect cap and chaga , which Gentl likes to use in her Coconut Dark Chocolate Pot de creme and Maple Mushroom Ice Cream .
Clean your mushrooms (but don’t go overboard)
After you pluck up your fresh bushel of mushrooms from your local granger ’s market or swell scrounge adventure , you ’ll notice some remnant of dirt . Fight every pulse you have to soak up them in water ; it will only make the preparation process more toilsome and complex .
“ Mushrooms are like leech : they sop up any liquid state , ” Gentl says . “ I do n’t really lave my mushrooms ; I just clean house them with a damp fabric if they really need it . Cultivated mushrooms are super clean and generally do n’t need to be cleaned anyway . ”
For those looking to get serious with their mushroom , there areforaging kniveswith small brushing on the end of them , idealistic for dot them off and take any ground .
Excerpted from Cooking With Mushrooms: A Fungi Lover’s Guide to the World’s Most Versatile, Flavorful, Health-Boosting Ingredients by Andrea Gentl. Artisan Books © 2022.
And if you ’re not planning on fix your mushrooms right aside , ensure to store them adequately . Mushrooms fare best amongst newspaper , so keep them either in a brown composition cup of tea or in an overt field goal .
How to cook mushrooms
Cooking with Mushroomsshowcases the telling adaptability of the fungus , with formula that utilise mushrooms in way of life you never thought possible . When it issue forth down to it , though , Gentl also emphasizes the importance of stick around to the bedrock , give notice us to “ fudge mushroom-shaped cloud the elbow room that you would normally cook your favorite foods . ”
Mushrooms theater so much savour and good that they can be served on their own or in conjunction with other looker . Whether you are stirring them into a ragu or layering them in a grill high mallow , there are sure ingredients that are bound to make your mushrooms stand out .
“ People are n’t experiment enough . There are so many ways to cook with mushrooms beyond a portobello burger . ”
Mushroom Parm|Excerpted from Cooking With Mushrooms: A Fungi Lover’s Guide to the World’s Most Versatile, Flavorful, Health-Boosting Ingredients by Andrea Gentl. Artisan Books © 2022.
“ mushroom cloud love fat . It help lend out all of their unlike flavor notes , ” Gentl says . “ They also like to be geminate with other umami flavors . you could use miso , soy , fish sauce , or colatura , or just a nice salty butter ; they all pair so well . ”
Gentl chooses which mushrooms to cook based on what she feel like eat . For example , because lion ’s mane has such a rich texture and flavor , Gentl likes to grill it as if it were a steak with butter , table salt , and pepper . If she want a smasher like a larb or a ragu , she ’ll opt for overbold cremini mushroom , which , when chopped , resemble ground pith .
Get funky with your fungi
If Gentl ’s cookbook teaches you anything , it ’s that mushrooms know no boundary . Most of us are habitual to sautéing and poke fun , but there is a whole humankind of mushroom-shaped cloud butters , pastes , beloved , powder , and salts out there look for us . “ People are n’t experiment enough . There are so many ways to cook with mushrooms beyond a portobello burger , ” Gentl laughs .
so as to venture into the mushroom ’s shapeshifting powers , you have to start with the severely underutilized method : evaporation . Let your mushrooms dry out out for a couple of hr until they are crispy , akin to the consistence of a cracker . Then you could immediately throw them in a food processor with salinity to make a mushroom salt , or you could grind them into a fine gunpowder using a burnt umber or spice hero . check that to store your salt and powders in well - seal jolt , far away from any heat or moisture .
Remember , certain mushroom give off unlike flavors , so be thoughtful with the one you choose ( for example , a chaga powder play best in lattes and nightlong oats , while porcini or maitake powder suits zesty dips or pastas ) . Just know that whatever you ’re starve , there ’s a mushroom for it .
