Dark Days: A Fungus Among Us

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Mushroom are plentiful right now.  There are just mounds of gorgeous mushrooms everywhere you look!  Living so close to Kennett Square (practically the Mushroom Capital of the World), we are especially lucky.  Some of the oyster mushrooms I’ve been seeing lately are unbelievable.

With so many mushrooms about, I’ve been feeling compelled to make something mushroomy.  So the other day I picked up two pounds of mixed mushrooms - cremini, shiitake, and white button - from the Fair Food Farmstand (I believe that’s Oley Mushrooms Farm).  Last night I was sitting around thinking about how to use them when it occurred to me that there are still a few servings of the gnocchi I made back in August in the freezer.

A scheme was hatched.  Gnocchi with mixed mushrooms it was!  And aside from the vermouth, olive oil, salt, and pepper, it was all made from local ingredients!

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 lbs mixed mushrooms, stemmed and thickly sliced (should be about 10 cups)
1 shallot, minced
1/2 of a white onion, minced
1/4 c. dry vermouth
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. chopped thyme
salt and pepper
About 2 lbs of gnocchi
3 Tbsp Hendricks Farms parmesan cheese, grated
3 Tbsp Otterbein Acres romano cheese, grated

Preheat the broiler.

Using a large, ovenproof skillet, heat oil and butter over high heat.  Add mushrooms, shallot, and onion.  Cook about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The mushrooms should be cooked down pretty well.

Add vermouth; cook until nearly all evaporated.  Add stock, cream, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.

While all this is going on, cook the gnocchi.  If you’re using homemade gnocchi, I recommend scooping them out of the boiling water just before they’re completely floating - most homemade gnocchi has a tendency to fall apart if it’s cooked for too long…so you want them just shy of cooked through.

Add drained gnocchi to the skillet, along with cheese.  Give it a good but careful stir and cook just long enough for the cheese to melt.

Put the skillet under the broiler for two or three minutes and serve immediately.

This is a super simple meal, and very homey and comforting.  The sauce is lovely and thick, perfect for sopping up with bread.

On a vaguely related note, I’m really interested in finding a mycologist or mycology club in the area.  I know most mushroom hunters don’t like to share the location of their hunting grounds (lest they give away the location of a stellar patch of morels or something), but I’m very interested in learning how not to die of fungus poisoning while hunting mushrooms.  Anj has also mentioned to me that she would be interested - does anyone know of a naturalist or some other resource that might be contacted for that purpose?

There is a Pennsylvania mushroom field guide available, but I have a deep fear of getting deathly ill if I pick the wrong mushroom.  Yet I am drawn to the idea of foraging and think finding edible mushrooms would be fun and rewarding.  Anyone have some ideas on where to get started?