MyKitchen - Issue 36 - October 2017

34 OCTOber 2017

4 ways with

additional text: roxy Greeff; illustrations: ChloÉ

damstra, yolandi du toit; photo

Graphy: hm

images.co.za

5. remove the risotto from the
   heat, mix in the Parmesan and
   butter, and season with salt
   and pepper.


6. Serve immediately with lots
   of extra Parmesan.

Torn pasta with

mushroom purée

ServeS 4

INGREDIENTS

10 sheets lasagne, torn

4 tbsp butter

500 g shiitake or black

mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and

crushed

¼ cup water

METHOD

1. boil the lasagne pieces until
   they are al dente. Drain them,
   but reserve about 2 cups of the
   cooking liquid.


2. Heat 2 tbsp butter and fry
   most of the mushrooms (keep
   some for serving) and garlic
   until golden.


3. Add ¼ cup water and blend
   until smooth.


4. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp
   butter and fry the mushroom
   purée for 5 minutes. Add the
   pasta and just enough cooking
   liquid so that the sauce can coat
   the pasta. Toss together until
   well coated.


5. Serve the pasta with the
   reserved sliced mushrooms.

Torn pasta with mushroom PurÉe

SEE HOw

IT GROwS

The part we see is the

fruit of a larger organism

growing underground,

called the mycelium (the

‘tree’ of the mushroom).

Justin Williams

(the_mushroom_forager

on Instagram) gives us

his golden rules for

mushroom foraging.

pORcINI

Recognise them

• Big, dome-shaped caps with thick stems
  
  
  • Sponge under the caps
  
  
  
  


• Reddish brown, slightly sticky texture
  Taste them
  Called ‘the mushroom finder’s delight’,
  they are one of the best to eat – there is
  no real substitute for a fresh porcini.

mushroom

musts

sTep 1

Attend classes with experts. Don’t

go foraging without an expert!

sTep 2

buy a mushroom field guide

to carry with you and use as

a point of reference.

sTep 3

If a mushroom has sponge under

the cap, instead of gills, it’s edible.

This only applies in the Western

Cape. elsewhere in South Africa,

a spongy mushroom might

be hallucinogenic.

sTep 4

If a mushroom has white gills,

it is generally a sign of poison.

Avoid these!

SaffRON MIlk capS

Recognise them

• Flat caps with concentric rings on the top


• Orange gills, which turn blue-green with age


• Ooze an orange-coloured liquid (saffron milk)
  when the stem is cut


• Grow under pine trees, especially after rain
  Taste them
  They have a very meaty flavour.

sTep 5

Use a basket. This will allow the

mushroom spores to drop back to

the ground through the cracks and

repopulate future generations.

lOcal SOIl

There are more than

1 000 mushroom species

in SA, but only about 20 of

these are edible. The others

are either poisonous or

just taste awful.

Four ways with.indd 34 2017/08/24 3:23 PM