Cook's Book of Mushrooms With 100 Recipes for Common and Uncommon Varieties

Morel Sauce As much as I love to pick and eat fresh morels, when I use them to make a sauce it always comes out somewhat cloudy. Morels should really be dried for making a clean, clear sauce. What's more, you can make this sauce at any time of the year because you can hunt for dried morels at your favorite specialty food store when they are out of season. This sauce is ideal for veal, chicken, or game birds. 1 teaspoon caraway seed 3 tablespoons chopped onion 3 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper 2 tablespoons clarified butter 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 ounce dried morels 1 tablespoon arrowroot mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water Place the caraway seed, onion, green pepper, butter, sugar, salt, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and return liquid to saucepan. Add the morels and simmer for another 30 minutes. Stir in the arrowroot mixture if sauce is to be used immediately, and stir over low heat until thickened. Note: If you want to store this sauce for future use, freeze without thickening with arrowroot. Reheat and thicken before serving. Makes 2 cups Wild Mushroom and Onion Soup Traditional French onion soup needs no embellishments-except maybe this one. The dried cepes add body and earthiness while maintaining a vegetarian simplicity. Dried shitake make a different but intriguing variation. If you use dried shitake, slice them after reconstitution. 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 4 medium onions, sliced 1 ounce dried cepes, preferably sliced 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 8 slices Gruyere cheese 4 slices French bread, brushed with oil and toasted Place the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and slowly saute, stirring occasionally. You want the onions to cook slowly without browning--as long as 30 minutes. While the onions are cooking, combine the mushrooms with 4 cups of water and the salt, soy sauce, and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the onions are done. Add the onions to the mushroom liquid and simmer for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place 2 slices of the cheese on top of each slice of toasted bread. Ladle about a cup of soup into each of 4 narrow-mouthed bowls. Float the bread on top of the soup and place in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Serves 4 Suggested wine: Madeira Pennsylvania Polenta with Sliced Shitake Polenta is made with cornmeal, but farina (cream of wheat) is just as versatile. Cooled, sliced, and baked with shitake, it makes an interesting side dish for any meat. The polenta can be studded with an endless array of fresh herbs, chopped vegetables, or even meat or fish, and served as a dish by itself with its own sauce. It can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator. 3 ounces fresh shitake, thinly sliced with stems removed 1/2 cup farina (cream of wheat) 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon finely diced red bell pepper Tabasco sauce Salt Place the mushrooms in 2 cups lightly salted water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute, then slowly add the cream of wheat, stirring. Continue to stir gently while the cereal thickens, about 10 minutes. Cereal should become very thick. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, eggs, egg yolks, cheese, red pepper, and Tabasco, and salt to taste, blending thoroughly. Pour the warm mixture onto a well-oiled baking sheet and spread it out, making the surface as even as possible. Let cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator until cool to the touch. Remove from tCzarnecki, Jack is the author of 'Cook's Book of Mushrooms With 100 Recipes for Common and Uncommon Varieties' with ISBN 9781885183071 and ISBN 1885183070.