Mind Bendingly Good Recipes for Cultivated and Wild Mushrooms
Written by Becky Selengut, Review by Marcianne Miller
What a treat for fungi nuts! This gorgeously illustrated book is designed to take you on a “global culinary journey” of mushrooms—with recipes for 14 cultivated and wild mushrooms, ranging from button and Portobello to matsutake. The dishes, mostly vegetarian, range from Asian, Indian, Italian and more.
The book’s layout is so good, as a former book editor, I just turned the pages in sheer admiration before I dove into it. The recipes are clearly divided into three stages of chef experience—easy, intermediate, to advanced. (Yes, I’ve already charged into a few of the beginning recipes and so far so good!)
Included is a list of book-related internet videos to help with tasks that are often mystifying to beginning cooks, such as how to clean mushrooms and preserve them. It’s full of tips you wish someone had told you before, such as never put the mushrooms in plastic bags (they turn mushy), and why you shouldn’t eat them raw (they’re blah – cooking makes them taste better).
Tailgate market time is coming soon – which means lots of hand-loved fungi delicacies are waiting to be taken home in a brown paper bag.
Shroom: Mind Bendingly Good Recipes for Cultivated and Wild Mushrooms, written by Becky Selengut. Illustrated, Andrews McMeel Publishing, (2014) 240pp.