Asheville Mushroom Club

Sicilian Mushroom Soup

4 c. beef or chicken stock
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 lb. fresh wild mushrooms (such as Hericium erinaceum), trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced
1 (16 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 T. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 eggs
4 - 6 slices country-style Italian or French bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick and toasted
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Place stock in a heavy-bottomed soup kettle, and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, heat butter and olive oil in medium sized saucepan. When foam has subsided, add garlic and chopped onion. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent, about 1 minute. Add fresh mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently until mushroom liquid has evaporated and slices begin to brown. Add to simmering stock, together with tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer very gently, uncovered, until flavors are well-blended and slices are tender, at least 30 minutes. (Alternatively, soup can be slow-cooked in a crock pot for several hours.) Just before serving, stir parsley into soup. Beat eggs with a fork in a small bowl until blended. Add beaten eggs slowly to simmering soup, beating constantly with a long-handled fork. Eggs will spin out in threads. To serve, place a piece of toasted bread in each of four soup plates. Ladle hot soup over bread slices. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmgiano-Reggiano, and serve immediately, accompanied by grated cheese. Yields 4 - 6 servings.

These recipes is featured in "Cooking with
the Asheville Mushroom Club" cook book on
page 32.

Club members have collected hundreds of recipes featuring local
and cultivated mushrooms to create a unique specialty cookbook.

Purchase your copy at club meetings for $10 or by ordering from Ken McGill, PO Box 182, Campobello, SC 29322 for $14.95.

Each month we'll be highlighting one mushroom that can be found in WNC during that current month. This is in an attempt to help members or guests learn our local mushrooms. It will also be noted whether the mushroom is edible, ill advised, or poisonous.

Hericium erinaceus (aka Bearded tooth)

If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time you already know to scan the trees as well as the ground any time you are mushroom hunting. This is a very distinctive fungus and another good one for you beginners to learn as there are no known poisonous mushrooms in the family Hydnaceae. Once you’ve discovered the culinary pleasure of bearded tooth, you may forget to scan the ground.

Bearded tooth occurs on living deciduous trees mostly oak, maple and beech. Now (August through November) is the time for it to fruit. Look for white to cream colored, small to medium (4 to 10 inches diameter) round to oval pom poms growing on the sides of trees. A closer examination will reveal a toothed fungus with the teeth forming a white beard-like mass. There are two look a likes in our area, H. coralloides and H. ramosum, both of which grow on dead of dying trees. Don’t worry; all three are edible and choice.

If you are going to make a meal of bearded tooth, choose young tender specimens. Young specimens are choice, but older specimens can be tough and sour tasting. The base can be very tough and rooting, so take your knife and trim off the tender part. In my opinion bearded tooth is like chicken mushrooms in that it benefits from long slow cooking. Try it in a slow cooker stew rather than a stir fry. If you have the incredible luck to find enough to preserve try either sautéing in butter and freezing or pressure canning.

The most productive time of the mushroom season is upon us. The diversity and numbers of mushrooms can be mystifying. Pick what you know and enjoy nature’s buffet. Just remember the cardinal rule, “When in doubt, toss it out!”. Have fun out there.

Steve

Steve Peek, field mycologist and long standing member of the Asheville Mushroom Club