The Best Chanterelle Risotto



Risotto with Roasted Chanterelles

 In a Funk -I have to admit that I'm not doing very well on the Fall to Winter transition.  I have relied so heavily on my garden for so many months that I have gotten out of the habit of shopping, or even planning ahead so that I can have the necessary ingredients on hand to prepare a meal.  Until now I have embraced the idea of roaming around the garden looking inspiration for our evening meal.  I found it a challenge and a delight.  I never knew what would come out of my kitchen until I discovered what was available and abundant in the garden. But now things have changed. It's a little bleak out there - cabbage, Swiss chard, carrots, leeks and greens.  Not only that, it's dark, cold, and wet. The move out of Daylight Savings has also thrown me for a loop. It's no fun to be out there in the dark and rain trying to find greens for a salad.  I'm going to have to work this out.  My goal for this week is to face my dilemma head-on and get back in the groove.  We do have to eat, after all. 

In the meantime I thought you might like to hear about my best-ever recipe for Mushroom Risotto - it involves Chanterelles.  By this time all of our Chanterelle harvest has been prepared and frozen.  I'm missing those fresh mushrooms and am looking forward to another romp in the forest this weekend.  But first, I must document this recipe before I forget.  The Risotto is pretty straight forward with one exception, at the very end of the cooking process I added mushrooms that  had been roasted with garlic.  The flavor was spectacular.  The roasted Chanterelles were tender with a rich caramelized flavor; the tidbits of roasted garlic were divine. Well worth repeating.  Here's how I made it:

Risotto with Roasted Chanterelles

2 cups of medium sized Chanterelles, whole or cut in half
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, slivered
pinch of salt

1 leek, white part only, sliced
1 1/2 cups Chanterelles, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
salt to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

To roast the mushrooms:  toss mushrooms and garlic with olive oil and spread on cookie sheet or roasting pan.  Roast in 425F oven until the mushrooms are golden, have released their liquid and it has evaporated -about 20 minutes.  Any accumulated juice may be added to the risotto for flavor.

For Risotto:  Bring chicken stock to a simmer.  Keep at a low simmer while making the risotto.  heat olive oil in a  sauce pan over medium heat, add leeks and chopped mushrooms.  Saute until the leeks are limp and mushrooms begin to give up their liquid.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Begin adding the simmering stock one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed each time. Add the wine and continue stirring and adding stock until the rice is opaque and tender, but still somewhat firm in the center. This should take about 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning, adding salt to taste.  Stir in cheese and roasted mushrooms, reserving a few mushrooms for garnish.  Serve right away.

Freezing Wild Mushrooms

Too Many? - It's so hard to pass up a nice looking mushroom, even if your basket already weighs 15 pounds.   Those of you who are lucky enough to live near a good picking spot know what I mean.  Where we pick the woods are dense and usually wet, and the hillsides steep.  It is not easy going. We climb over downed old growth stumps, through masses of vine maple branches, and poke around under thick beds of ferns and Salal. All for the pleasure of spotting the beautiful golden, trumpet-shaped Chanterelle coming up out of the moss and fir needles. The mushrooms were plentiful this year and the recent rain had caused them to be full of moisture and , thus, very heavy. 

So, what does one do with 25 pounds of Chanterelles?  We brought ours home and cleaned them right away.  We did this by quickly dipping each mushroom in water and brushing off the forest debris.  We then sorted them by size and spread them out on towels to dry overnight.  Of course, we eat fresh mushrooms in everything we cook for several days.  So far we've enjoyed a fritatta and Chanterelle risotto.  Tonight we're looking forward to a great mushroom soup.  Meanwhile, I've been preparing lots of mushrooms for the freezer.  We've found that unlike many frozen foods, the flavor of Chanterelles seems to improve and become more concentrated once frozen.  I use them often throughout the year.  I usually freeze the mushrooms in three different forms: 1) chopped and sauteed with shallots or onions and maybe a little Marsala - these are great mixed with rice, in stuffings, or with baked chicken breasts; 2) made into duexelles - which are finely chopped then sauteed, also with shallots -  these I use for flavor in soups and sauces, they are also nice as a filling for rolled fish or chicken and roasted whole or in large pieces; and 3) oven roasted whole or in large pieces - these maintain their shape and are very nice in rice and grain dishes or as a garnish in soups or with meat or chicken.

This year I have chosen to oven roast most of the mushrooms mainly because roasting imparts a wonderful flavor and color to the mushrooms, they become almost caramelized.  It is also nice to end up with some large and shapely pieces.  I've roasted the mushrooms two different ways, whole or halved, and chopped with garlic  Here's how it's done:

Oven Roasted Chanterelles

Set oven to 425F. Clean mushrooms, sort by size. I like to roast small or medium mushrooms whole or cut in half, depending on how large they are.  They shrink during cooking, and my goal is to obtain something that still looks like a mushroom, but is small enough to eat in one or two bites.  Place the prepared mushrooms in a large bowl and drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp or olive oil, and a little salt.  Toss the mushrooms to coat.  Spread mushrooms out on a large baking or roasting pan.  Place in oven  until they release their liquid, it evaporates, and the mushroom become a dark golden brown color, about 30 minutes. The smell will be wonderful.  You can now eat them or place in freezer bags and freeze.

Oven Roasted Chanterelles with Garlic

I used the same technique for these except that I chopped the mushrooms into smaller pieces and added several large slivered garlics along with the oil and salt.

Watch for more recipes to come.

Chanterelle Happiness



A perfect little Chanterelle

 It's hard to beat a sunny Fall day spent tromping through the woods. There's nothing like it.  Today was one of those days.  It seems like we've had weeks of nothing but gray skies and rain, lots of rain.  But, today was beautiful.  As October comes to an end we are always sad to put away our garden and give up the constant supply of fresh edibles. At the same time we begin to feel the pull of the woods where the moisture and cool weather has begun to coax Chanterelle mushrooms from the forest floor. We have been wanting to head for the woods for over a week now, but just couldn't get away.  Today was the day. Our supply of treasured frozen Chanterells has dwindled to almost nothing and we desperately needed to restock.

For me, mushroom hunting is a magical thing.  I love walking through the woods alone enjoying the peace and quiet; the dappled sun filtering through the forest above, the soft floor of moss and fir needles muffling my footsteps. Today I realized that I cherish this private time with nature and that I only experience it when mushrooms are my focus. I feel safe.  Reyn and I always start our hunting together, but the illusive mushrooms quickly entice us in opposite directions. We return to our favorite "secret" spot every year.   It's not really possible to get lost as there is a road on one side and a ridge on the other, but for hours at a time we don't see one another or communicate.  We simply enjoy the sounds and sights of the deep woods,  along with the pleasure of a treasure hunt. 

When we arrived at our spot today we were disappointed to find another car parked not too far up the road.  It is always a surprise to learn that someone else knows of this place.  The car departed soon after we arrived, but we were afraid that not many mushrooms would be left.  Over the years I have learned that regardless of who or how many people have picked before us, there are always mushrooms to be found.  Today was no different.  We had to look a little harder, and found many that were buried in the fir needles, exposing just the slightest bit of their golden edge, but mushrooms we did find.  See for yourself, together we picked 25 pounds of beautiful Chanterelles.

Our dinner for tonight?  Chanterelles, of course.  By the time we drove home and cleaned our mushrooms it was late, and true to form, I had planned nothing for dinner.  A quick and easy fritatta fit the bill.  This could be the best.  Garlic, a leek, and potatoes from our garden, eggs from a friend, Chanterelles, along with a bit of bacon and a bit of cheese made an exceptionally delicious combination.  The final touch was a little smoked Spanish paprika sprinkled on top.   Here's how I made it.

Potato and Chanterelle Fritatta

3 strips bacon

1 clove garlic, slivered

1 leek, white part sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 potatoes, quartered lengthwise, then sliced

2+ cups Chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Sherry
2 - 3 TBS cubed aged cheddar cheese (white)
4 eggs
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Smoked Spanish paprika

Cut bacon into small squares and cook until crisp.  Drain and set aside.  In a non-stick frying pan heat olive oil, add garlic and leeks.  Saute until soft.  Add the potatoes and cook on med/low heat until the potatoes are cooked through, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Meanwhile clean and chop mushrooms into pieces about 1 - 2" wide.  Heat oil to medium in a saute pan and add mushrooms. Cook until they release all their liquid, add sherry and continue cooking until the liquid has completely evaporated. In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk together.  Arrange cheese cubes and bacon on top of potatoes, top with mushrooms, then pour on the egg and milk mixture.  Cook over medium heat, lifting the edge of the eggs as they firm up and allowing remaining liquid eggs to run under the edge.  When the fritatta is firm around the outside, but still runny in the middle, place the pan under the broiler briefly to finish cooking.  Voila!