Three chefs share their favorite fungi dishes.
Schofield Farm Oyster Mushrooms and Potato Noodles
Contributed by Drew Phelan, chef/owner of The Brickhouse Run, Petersburg; BrickhouseRun.com
- 3 medium russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 pound Schofield oyster mushrooms,
- stemmed and roughly chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves sea salt
- coarse black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan,
- plus more for garnish extra virgin olive oil red chili flakes
Spiralize the potatoes. Soak in cold, lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Start a medium pot of water to simmer. In a 10-inch sauté pan on medium high heat, add butter, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté until lightly browned and tender. Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar. Add the cream and Parmesan, then reduce heat. Allow the cream to simmer gently until slightly reduced and the cheese is melted.
Drain the potato noodles through a strainer and add to the simmering water. Cook for 3–4 minutes, strain carefully, then add to the creamy mushroom mixture; fold gently. Finish the plated noodles with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, pepper flakes, cracked pepper, pinch of sea salt, and some extra Parmesan.
Serves 4
Mushrooms are superfoods, full of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Cassolette of Sharondale Mushrooms with Red Wine Sauce, Poached Egg, and Sunchokes
Contributed by Brian Helleberg, chef/owner of Fleurie Restaurant and Petit Pois Restaurant, Charlottesville; FleurieRestaurant.com, PetitPoisRestaurant.com
SUNCHOKE PURÉE
- 8 ounces sunchokes
- acidulated water: add 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 quart water
- 1 small gold Yukon potato, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups milk
- 2 fresh bay leaves
Peel the sunchokes and immediately submerge in acidulated water to prevent oxidation. When ready to cook, drain the acidulated water and place the sunchokes and potato in a saucepan. Add milk and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover with parchment paper, and simmer until very tender (about 30 minutes). Strain the mixture, discarding the bay leaves but reserving the sunchokes and warm milk. Puree the sunchokes until smooth, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to facilitate blending but keep it thick.
ROASTED SUNCHOKES
- 1 1/2 pounds sunchokes
- grapeseed oil
- salt
- pepper
Peel the sunchokes, slice into quarter-inch rounds, and toss with a generous amount of grapeseed oil. Roast in a convection oven at 400 degrees until the sunchokes are tender and golden brown (15–20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
RED WINE SAUCE
- 1/3 cup shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns, crushed
- 1 cup full-bodied red wine
- 11/2 cups veal stock
- 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Gently sauté shallots in oil. Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. When tender, add wine and slowly reduce by half. Add veal stock and continue to reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Then add sherry or red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve; you should have about 2/3 cup sauce. Slowly bring the sauce back to a boil then whisk in cold butter. Season with salt and black pepper.
POACHED EGG
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- egg
- salt
- pepper
Fill a small saucepan with water and add the vinegar. Bring to nearly a boil. Give the water a swirl in a circular motion and crack the egg directly into the center of the water. Allow the egg to poach while gently continuing to simmer the water for about 2 minutes, and then carefully remove the egg with a slotted spoon. Season egg with a pinch each of salt and black pepper.
MUSHROOMS
- 12 ounces Sharondale oyster mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus extra for cooking
- 1 tablespoon shallots, diced
- salt
- pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
GARNISH
- fresh parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives, and celery leaf
Clip each mushroom from the cluster, cutting it so the tender part of the stem is intact; reserve the harder portion of the stem for stock. Using your hands, gently halve or quarter any of the larger mushrooms so that each one is about 1 inch in diameter, and they are all roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.
Heat a heavy-bottom skillet over medium- high heat and add grapeseed oil. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and allow them to lightly caramelize. Then, gently move the mushrooms about the pan while adding additional oil in small increments as the mushrooms will absorb quite a bit during the cooking process. After about 3 minutes, add shallots and salt and pepper to taste. When the shallots are tender (1–2 minutes), turn the heat to low and add the garlic, lemon zest, butter, and parsley. Continue to stir the mixture as the butter melts and then verify the seasoning.
To assemble the dish: Place a couple generous tablespoons of the sunchoke purée in the bottom of a serving dish and place the roasted sunchokes and sautéed mushrooms on top. Add the poached egg in the center and sauce the egg and the mushroom mixture with 2 tablespoons of the red wine sauce. Garnish with small leaves of parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives, and celery leaf.
Serves 2–4 as an appetizer
If your experience of cooking with mushrooms stops at stroganoff, set down the sour cream and try these recipes instead, designed by local chefs to highlight the flavor of farm-fresh, Virginia-grown mushrooms.
Alewife Fried Mushrooms from Schofield Farm
Contributed by Bobo Catoe, Jr., chef de cuisine of Alewife, Richmond; AlewifeRVA.com
Note: Pickle the mushrooms two days before you plan to fry them.
PICKLED MUSHROOMS
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 ounces salt
- 2 ounces sugar
- 3 star anise
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds Schofield Farm oyster mushrooms
Separate the cluster into individual mushrooms and check to make sure there isn’t any of the growing medium attached. In a large saucepan, heat all of the ingredients except the mushrooms just enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, pour the brine over them, and weigh them down to ensure they will remain submerged. The next day, drain the mushrooms and lay them out on a sheet pan lined with kitchen towels. Put them in the refrigerator and let them dry for the day.
MISO AIOLI
- 1 cup Duke’s mayo
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- Tabasco sauce or your favorite fermented hot sauce, to taste
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate; serve with mushrooms.
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 3 cups Maseca (instant yellow corn masa flour)
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups canola oil for deep frying; you can fry in a shallow pan using less oil or use an air fryer
- mushroom dashi powder (available online or at gourmet grocery stores)
On the third day, combine the buttermilk with a pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and let sit for at least 1 hour before frying. Combine the Maseca, rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda in a shallow bowl. Heat a pot of oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, dredge the mushrooms in the flour mixture and fry them until golden brown (2–3 minutes). Remove the mushrooms from the oil, immediately season with salt, pepper, and/or mushroom dashi powder, and serve with miso aioli.
Serves 6–8 as an appetizer
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue.
