By JUSTIN MILLER and JASMIN K. WILLIAMS
June 16, 2008
MUSHROOMS are one of our most versatile foods.They have great texture and flavor and can be baked, sautéed, stewed, stuffedor eaten raw.They can serve as appetizers or side dishes, or be featured as themaincourse.Theyare agreat addition to soups and salads. They are full of minerals like copper, which helps make red blood cells and maintains the health of bones and nerves, and
potassium, which most of us don't get enough of but is necessary in helping nerves and muscles function properly.
Mushrooms are the only natural fresh produce that c o n t a i n s Vitamin D, which we get frommilk and the sun.
Mushrooms are not your typical produce. They are actually the body produced by fungi. Their "seeds" are microscopic spores found under the cap. Mushrooms grow and thrive on decaying wood, plant and animal matter.
There are about 10,000 known varieties, of which only 100 are safe to eat. Never eat a mushroom that you might find growing wild. The poisonous ones can kill.
The most popular edible mushrooms are the white button variety, which are found in most supermarkets. Other tasty varieties include oysters, chanterelles and trumpet mushrooms; porcinis, which have a strong and distinct flavor and are perfect for sauces; and portobellos, which are steaklike and can be grilled to taste.
Truffles are the most exotic edible mushroom, with a distinctive taste and smell. These grow underground and are hard to find - and very expensive to buy. Special trufflepigsanddogs are used tosniff them out and dig them up. Truffle finders prefer to use dogs because the pigs like to eat the prize. These pricey fungi can cost up to $200 apiece. The flavor is powerful and is used to season everything from oil and omelets to cream sauces.
France and Italy are the source for most truffles. But in our country,Kennett Square, Pa., is known as the Mushroom Capital of theWorld, producing more than 51% of the nation's favorite fungi.
Today, Chef Justin offers up a tasty dish featuring this most versatile food. Try making this recipe with an adult's help. The recipe serves two.
Justin's Mushroom Mountain
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup shitake mushrooms
1 cup oyster mushrooms
2 medium portobello mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 small sweet onion
2 tbls. olive oil
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Directions:
Slice mushrooms Julienne-style, skinny strips (except portobello), and place in a bowl. Slice red, green, and yellow peppers into thin strips 1/8 of an inch or thinner and add to mushroom mixture in the bowl.
Slice onion into Julienne-style strips and add to peppers and mushrooms in the bowl. Heat sauté pan and add 2 tbls. olive oil. Once oil is hot, add mushrooms, onion and pepper mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Sauté until tender. Slice portobello mushrooms into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Coat in olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Place on grill, turning only once until tender.
Using a ring or foil in center of plate, tightly pack mushroom mixture into ring, remove the ring, and the mixture will hold its form. Place grilled portobello in a pattern from edge of plate.
I served this dish with my friend Drake Bell's favorite vegetable, asparagus. The asparagus is best when steamed, and it has a snap to it.
