Stretching Your Budget - Mushrooms and Other Fungi
[CAUTION: Potentially offensive language ahead. If you are of a sensitive nature, please read with caution or visit another food blog.]
There are two food items that I love more than anything else: any form of noodle or pasta, and mushrooms.. If you're not a mushroom fanatic, no point in reading any further. If you love mushrooms and can't get enough, but find that your fresh mushrooms spoil because you can't eat them fast enough, this blog has some suggestions for stretching your fungal food dollar...
I love going to my local Farmer's Market and buying fresh mushrooms, usually at unbelievably low prices. One vendor I visit every Saturday has several types of mushrooms, even oyster mushrooms and Japanese shiitakes for only $1.25/pint. With fresh mushrooms, I almost always cook them within 2-3 days. Leave in them a closed paper bag and they'll last up to 5 days, but usually dry out afterwards. Never store fresh mushrooms in a plastic bag. They rot quickly and your money's wasted.
[ASIDE: If you've purchased either Oyster or Shiitake mushrooms and don't know what to do with them, try a stir fry. Both types, fresh, have a great sponginess that holds well in a stir fry. The simplest dish I've made with them is to cook them up with a bit olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Add strips of bell pepper, slices of celery, and slivers of onions if you like - throw into a pita or tortilla for a wrap - but don't over cook either mushroom. They are quite delicate and taste best when their moisture is retained. Try to eat fresh mushrooms quickly.]
If you are a busy person that's not home often, try canned or dried mushrooms. Canned mushrooms don't taste half as good as fresh, but they're convenient and don't spoil fast - until you open the can. Once you open the can, if you don't use the whole thing, put the rest in a container that you can see through. I can't tell you how many mini, fuzzy science experiments I've ended up with because I forgot about half-used mushrooms. As canned mushrooms go, I love shiitake and straw mushrooms the best. The canned variety of these two types have a luxurious, silky, semi-firm taste that's utterly orgasmic. (To stay on the side of a G-rating, I won't go any further.) They are particularly good in Oriental or fusion cuisine soups, but also do quite well in home-made fried rice. Suggestion, canned mushrooms are usually far less expensive in an Oriental grocery than in a regular grocery's international section.
Another option, if you find that you aren't using the canned variety often, is to get yourself a large bag of dried Chinese mushrooms or even black fungus. Once again, go to your fave Oriental grocery. Regular grocery stores anywhere from $2.99-$3.99 for a tiny package of dried mushrooms. They last a very long time- upwards of a year - with no discernible difference in taste or texture. In an Oriental grocery, you can usually get a large bag for $2.99-$5.99, a far better deal than at a regular grocery.
The best way to prepare dried mushrooms or fungus is to let a few pieces soak in warm or even boiled water, in a large, shallow bowl. Usually, 40-50 minutes is good, if you are going to use them in a dry dish. For a soup, 15-30 minutes is fine, as they'll get more moisture from the soup. [In fact, you can put them in a covered bowl of warm water when you leave for work and use them when you get home. However, it's safer to refrigerate the bowl while you're gone.] Once you have soaked them, remove the mushroom or fungus pieces and give them a quick rinse. You can dice or slice them at this point. Save the soaking liquid. It's a rich source of vitamins and flavour that you can make veg or meat stock with, add to your soups, or even a delicous, rich mushroom tea for a cool evening. Do, however, strain the liquid a couple of times to get rid of grit. I find dried mushrooms to be the most economical for single, busy, people; canned mushrooms have the most palate-pleasing textures; and fresh mushrooms have the best taste and fragrance.
(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://cookingforone-or-two.blogspot.com
There are two food items that I love more than anything else: any form of noodle or pasta, and mushrooms.. If you're not a mushroom fanatic, no point in reading any further. If you love mushrooms and can't get enough, but find that your fresh mushrooms spoil because you can't eat them fast enough, this blog has some suggestions for stretching your fungal food dollar...
I love going to my local Farmer's Market and buying fresh mushrooms, usually at unbelievably low prices. One vendor I visit every Saturday has several types of mushrooms, even oyster mushrooms and Japanese shiitakes for only $1.25/pint. With fresh mushrooms, I almost always cook them within 2-3 days. Leave in them a closed paper bag and they'll last up to 5 days, but usually dry out afterwards. Never store fresh mushrooms in a plastic bag. They rot quickly and your money's wasted.
[ASIDE: If you've purchased either Oyster or Shiitake mushrooms and don't know what to do with them, try a stir fry. Both types, fresh, have a great sponginess that holds well in a stir fry. The simplest dish I've made with them is to cook them up with a bit olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Add strips of bell pepper, slices of celery, and slivers of onions if you like - throw into a pita or tortilla for a wrap - but don't over cook either mushroom. They are quite delicate and taste best when their moisture is retained. Try to eat fresh mushrooms quickly.]
If you are a busy person that's not home often, try canned or dried mushrooms. Canned mushrooms don't taste half as good as fresh, but they're convenient and don't spoil fast - until you open the can. Once you open the can, if you don't use the whole thing, put the rest in a container that you can see through. I can't tell you how many mini, fuzzy science experiments I've ended up with because I forgot about half-used mushrooms. As canned mushrooms go, I love shiitake and straw mushrooms the best. The canned variety of these two types have a luxurious, silky, semi-firm taste that's utterly orgasmic. (To stay on the side of a G-rating, I won't go any further.) They are particularly good in Oriental or fusion cuisine soups, but also do quite well in home-made fried rice. Suggestion, canned mushrooms are usually far less expensive in an Oriental grocery than in a regular grocery's international section.
Another option, if you find that you aren't using the canned variety often, is to get yourself a large bag of dried Chinese mushrooms or even black fungus. Once again, go to your fave Oriental grocery. Regular grocery stores anywhere from $2.99-$3.99 for a tiny package of dried mushrooms. They last a very long time- upwards of a year - with no discernible difference in taste or texture. In an Oriental grocery, you can usually get a large bag for $2.99-$5.99, a far better deal than at a regular grocery.
The best way to prepare dried mushrooms or fungus is to let a few pieces soak in warm or even boiled water, in a large, shallow bowl. Usually, 40-50 minutes is good, if you are going to use them in a dry dish. For a soup, 15-30 minutes is fine, as they'll get more moisture from the soup. [In fact, you can put them in a covered bowl of warm water when you leave for work and use them when you get home. However, it's safer to refrigerate the bowl while you're gone.] Once you have soaked them, remove the mushroom or fungus pieces and give them a quick rinse. You can dice or slice them at this point. Save the soaking liquid. It's a rich source of vitamins and flavour that you can make veg or meat stock with, add to your soups, or even a delicous, rich mushroom tea for a cool evening. Do, however, strain the liquid a couple of times to get rid of grit. I find dried mushrooms to be the most economical for single, busy, people; canned mushrooms have the most palate-pleasing textures; and fresh mushrooms have the best taste and fragrance.
(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://cookingforone-or-two.blogspot.com
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