5 recipes for fall fungi from a Healdsburg chef, mushroom forager

Some recipes Schreiber likes to make for a crowd is a pork, poblano and tomatillo stew with mushrooms, or coq au vin. She also makes a white lasagna layered with porcini bechamel, more roasted mushrooms, asparagus and ricotta — a great vegetarian option.

When confronted with a huge haul of mushrooms, Schreiber will roast or saute them first, then freeze to use later in dishes like mushroom soup, wild mushroom mac and cheese, or added to stuffing at Thanksgiving.

In fact, mushrooms can benefit from being cooked twice.

“I just seem to remember the slimy, undercooked mushrooms that mom made,” Schreiber said. “I cook them at a lot hotter temperature and try to get that caramelization, so they have more of that meaty, umami kind of flavor, and then they’re available for whatever I feel like adding them to.”

That might include a stew or a mushroom risotto where roasted mushrooms are added near the end of the cooking time.

Another option, she says, is to marinate mushrooms, such as cultivated alba or brown clamshell, in a simple vinaigrette after roasting them. Schreiber then tosses them with greens for a salad, using the marinade as a dressing, or she’ll add them along with a dollop of ricotta as a bruschetta topping. The marinated mushrooms will keep in a container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Raw mushrooms, though, are a no go.

“It’s really important with mushrooms to cook them,” Schreiber said. “They’re more digestible. Some, like morels, are toxic if you don’t cook them.”

Schreiber has noticed people are more interested in mushrooms than ever before, but there’s a knowledge gap.

“In Europe people grew up picking mushrooms with their parents and grandparents, and in Asia, too,” she said. “We never grew up with that. We have to start learning somehow.”

She suggests taking a class, joining a local mushroom society, or just making friends with a more experienced forager and spending time in the woods with them.

“Most people want to come do it again,” Schreiber said. “It’s like an adult Easter egg hunt.”

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Makes 6 servings

8 dried porcini mushrooms

6 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock or water to make vegetarian

2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as chanterelles, cremini, hen of the woods, oyster and porcini, cut or torn into bite-size pieces

⅓ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons light olive oil

1 large yellow onion, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

8 ounces crème fraîche (optional)

½ cup grated Parmesan

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put stock or water in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add dried mushrooms and steep over the heat for about 30 minutes. Strain out mushrooms, which will have plumped up, and set aside. Keep the liquid, which will be infused with the flavor of the mushrooms, warm over medium-low heat.

While the dried mushrooms steep, toss the assorted fresh mushrooms with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper on a parchment lined baking sheet. Put in preheated oven and roast until mushrooms are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a low sided, 6-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high. Add onion then cook until translucent and very lightly golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. If it starts to get too brown, reduce heat to medium.

Add Arborio rice and cook until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until it is evaporated, about 2 minutes, then and ½ cup of the warm, mushroom-infused stock. Cook, stirring until the rice absorbs it, about 2 minutes. Continue adding stock, ½-cup at a time and cooking and stirring until absorbed before adding more until rice is tender and creamy, about 16 to 20 minutes total.

Mince the reserved porcini mushrooms and add to the risotto, then stir in half the roasted mushrooms, butter, Parmesan and optional crème fraîche. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

Turn risotto out into a serving bowl or onto individual plates, and garnish with remaining roasted mushrooms. Serve immediately.

Marinated mushrooms are nice to have on hand. They can be used for a quick salad to round out a meal or an easy yet elegant hors d’oeuvres.

Marinated Mushrooms

Makes about 1 quart

For the roasted mushrooms

2-3 pounds Velvet Pioppini, Alba clamshell or brown clamshell mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the vinaigrette

6 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ cup light olive oil

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, diced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)

½ teaspoon fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Add mushrooms and toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast mushrooms for about 8 to 10 minutes or until all liquid is released. Continue roasting until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes more, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a large bowl, add vinegar, mustard, shallot, thyme, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking to form an emulsion. Season with more salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Add roasted mushrooms to vinaigrette. Store in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Marinated Mushroom Salad

Servings vary

Marinated Mushrooms, see preceding recipe

Mixed salad greens

When ready to serve, strain some mushrooms from the vinaigrette and set aside in a bowl. Add salad greens to a large bowl or platter. Spoon out some of the mushroom vinaigrette and drizzle over the greens and toss until they are dressed to your liking. Season greens with salt and pepper to taste. Top the salad with the reserved mushrooms.

Mushroom Ricotta Toasts

Servings vary

Marinated Mushrooms, see preceding recipe

Ricotta or other fresh creamy cheese

Baguette or other crusty bread, sliced

In a 350-degree oven, toast baguette slices for 5 to 7 minutes or until just starting to turn lightly golden. Alternatively, toast in a toaster. Spread ricotta on the toast and top with marinated mushrooms.

Slow-Cooked Pork Stew with Tomatillos, Mushrooms and Potatoes

Makes 8-10 servings

4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

4 to 6 poblano chiles

2 large white onions, sliced

4-6 garlic cloves

3 pounds tomatillos, outer husks removed and cut in half if large

1 ½ pounds trumpet royale mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 pounds boneless country style pork ribs

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh Epazote, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half

Salt and pepper, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

In a bowl, soak the dried porcini in just enough hot water to cover for at least 30 minutes. When mushrooms are softened remove them from the water. Reserve the soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms coarsely and set aside.

While the mushrooms soak, roast the poblano chiles. You can do this over an open flame on a gas stove or under a broiler in the oven. Turn the chiles regularly until blistered and blackened all over. Put the roasted chiles in a plastic bag or container and cover so that the steam and the skin loosens. Let them cool until you can handle them. Rub or peel the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stem and seeds and discard. Cut chiles into ½-inch pieces and set aside.

After broiling the chiles, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put onion, garlic cloves and tomatillos on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are soft, about 20-30 minutes.

Cut the trumpet royale mushrooms into bite size pieces. On a separate sheet pan, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until they begin to color, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove over medium high heat. Season the pork ribs with salt and pepper. If you wish, you may cut the rib meat into 2-inch pieces, but they will break down as they cook. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pot and add the meat, browning about 2 minutes on each side. Top the browned pork with the roasted tomatillo mixture, roasted poblano chiles and mushrooms.

Add reserved mushroom liquid, chicken broth and epazote. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, cooking until the meat is tender, about 2-3 hours. Test it with a knife or fork to see that it is tender enough to fall apart. When the meat is about halfway done, add the potatoes.

When stew is done add about a tablespoon of lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and lime juice as necessary.

Note: If you want more spice, add serrano chiles to the tomatillo mixture and roast with the onions, garlic and tomatillos.

You can reach staff writer Jennifer Graue at jennifer.graue@pressdemocrat.com