By Florence Fabricant, The New York Times
How would you like that mushroom? Medium-rare perhaps? Increasingly, an epic mushroom main course is becoming as essential as a steak or fillet of salmon on restaurant menus around the country.
At Café Chelsea in New York City’s Manhattan borough, a meaty, ruffle-edged slab of maitake, also known as hen-of-the-woods, is prepared like steak au poivre with a velvety peppercorn-riddled sauce, listed among the grill items and appointed with a steak knife.
“I had to have a vegetarian item and I knew a mushroom could be more than just a side,” said Derek Boccagno, the restaurant’s executive chef. “The mushroom au poivre is one of our most popular dishes.”
The creativity abounds. There’s king oyster mushroom and eggplant kebabs at Acadia in midtown Manhattan, porcini fondue at the Lavaux Wine Bar in the West Village neighborhood and the medley of “Take-out Mushrooms” with scallion pancakes at Tatiana, Kwame Onwuachi’s jewel in Lincoln Center Plaza.
At Third Kingdom, a year-old vegan restaurant devoted entirely to mushrooms in the East Village, “the response has been overwhelming, and not just from vegans,” said Ravi DeRossi, an owner. He calls his sautéed and sauced blue oyster mushroom “a real steakhouse analogue.” Many mushrooms have the beefy minerality and earthiness that’s expected in a rib-eye, along with the satisfying chew.
A risotto or a pasta dish involving mushrooms, such as the tagliatelle al funghi del bosco, one of several mushroom pastas at Rezdôra in New York, is not uncommon. More cutting edge is the mushroom potpie Brasserie Fouquet in Manhattan offered as a turkey alternative on its Thanksgiving menu. Crisp, fried mushrooms are also making appearances: tempura-battered mushrooms at Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a portobello mushroom Milanese as prepared at Boat House in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Marissa Lo, the chef at Boat House, said she’s gotten great feedback on the Milanese. “People order it because they’re curious and then they’re pleasantly surprised,” she said.
Even Pat LaFrieda, the baron of beef, is meeting the mushroom movement halfway with his new 50Cut, a blend of beef and oyster, trumpet, shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms that cooks and tastes like all-beef hamburger.
It’s worth noting that these mushroom dishes are all cooked. Winson Wong, a founder of Afterlife, a company in New York City’s Queens borough that grows and sells mushrooms to restaurants, cautions to “not serve or eat mushrooms raw because they can be toxic.” He’s not talking about the poisonous ones or mushrooms you might gather in a woodland, but all mushrooms. Heating will blunt the risk. And besides, mushrooms taste so much better once they’re cooked, even to add to a salad.
Increasingly home cooks can buy mushrooms other than everyday white button, cremini, portobellos and shiitakes in stores and at farmers markets and also online. But even with a mushroom wardrobe that’s more Gap than Gucci, it’s important to know how mushrooms, even commonplace white buttons, are best cared for and prepared.
Unfortunately, most mushrooms come encased in some kind of plastic container. Even when sold loose, by the pound, shoppers inevitably collect them in a plastic bag. Like moisture, airtight plastic is the enemy of fresh mushrooms; they need to breathe and are not degraded if they dry out as cooking reconstitutes them.
Purchase your mushrooms however they’re sold, but transfer them to an open paper or netted bag to store them in the refrigerator, preferably not in the vegetable drawer, which is a moist area. They’ll last a good week. For long term storage, try dehydrating them, but never freeze them raw unless your goal is a soggy mess.
As for cleaning mushrooms, the bottoms of the stems should be trimmed off and with some varieties, like shiitakes, the stems should be discarded or steeped in hot water to make a broth, because they’re so woody, they’re inedible. Any bits of soil can be brushed off. You do not have to wash them, but if you insist, spread them out on paper towels to dry completely before storing them.
Sautéing is the simplest cooking method and as they sizzle they’ll shrink and may seem to soak up all the fat, but eventually they’ll release some of it back into the pan so the cooking can finish. Grilling, simmering in stock and roasting are other methods to use. “Mushroom Gastronomy” by Krista Towns, published earlier this year, is a worthwhile guide with mushroom-by-mushroom profiles and recipes like king trumpet char siu and black pearl oyster mushroom stroganoff.
With the exception of rich, golden chanterelles and precious, nutty-tasting morels, which still can only be gathered by foragers, today’s mushrooms, even huge king trumpet, shaggy lion’s mane and almost neon-blue oyster mushrooms, among many others, are not “wild,” despite what the menu says. They are raised and harvested in indoor urban facilities. They require no agricultural land, little water or energy, no chemical protection and have a minimal carbon footprint. In short, they’re sustainable.
Mushrooms deserve to be on your shopping list, sizzling in your skillet and commanding your dinner plate.
Recipe: Maitake au Poivre
Maitake au Poivre, coarsely cracked black pepper and rich sauce on maitake mushrooms. As restaurants around the country make the humble mushroom an essential main dish, home cooks can learn a few tricks for dinner, too. Food styled by Hadas Smirnoff. (Armando Rafael, The New York Times)
Recipe from Derek Boccagno
Adapted by Florence Fabricant
Hold the steak. This vegetarian take on steak au poivre, from Manhattan’s Café Chelsea, boasts the same generous application of crushed black pepper, mellowed with cream, stock and a vibrant splash of cognac, but calls for slabs of maitake mushroom instead of beef. To strut its meaty swagger, the dish is listed on Café Chelsea’s menu among the grilled choices (a grill pan or skillet works just as well) rather than being relegated to the vegetable section. The restaurant opts for large slices of maitake, but the recipe works with several smaller pieces as well. Though quick to assemble, it’s not easy to scale up, so think intimate dinner or Valentine’s Day.
Yield: 2 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 ounce dried mushrooms, preferably porcini
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably high fat (European style)
- 4 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce (see Tip) or regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt
- 2 large slices maitake (hen-of-the-woods) mushroom, each about 6 inches wide and 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick (from 1 to 2 large maitakes)
Preparation
1. Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup hot water (tap is fine) and let soak at least 30 minutes. Strain the mushroom stock through a mesh sieve into another small bowl, gently squeezing the mushrooms to release more of the liquid. (Save the softened mushrooms for another use.)
2. While the mushrooms soak, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium, swirling occasionally. After about 3 minutes, when the foam subsides and the melted butter turns nut-brown with browned bits at the bottom of the pan, add 2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce to the pan, swirl to combine and set aside.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-low. Add garlic and shallots and cook until softened and barely starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add peppercorns, cook briefly and then add cognac. Step back and flame the mixture by carefully lighting the sauce with a long-reach lighter or long fireplace match; it will ignite quickly. When the flames die out (about 30 seconds), add the reserved mushroom stock and the cream, swirling to combine. When the mixture returns to a simmer, cook 3 to 4 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce and then add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter bit by bit, swirling to combine. Season with salt, if necessary, and set aside.
4. Shortly before serving, brush the maitake slices to remove any grit. Then brush them with the brown butter-soy sauce and season lightly with salt.
5. Heat a grill, a grill pan or a cast-iron skillet over medium for 1 to 2 minutes. Cook the mushrooms, gently pressing them down with a spatula, until nicely browned and slightly crisped, about 3 minutes per side. Reheat the peppercorn cream sauce on low. Divide the mushroom slices between dinner plates, pour the sauce over and around them and serve immediately.
Tip
Mushroom soy sauce is typically a bit darker and sweeter than regular soy sauce and tastes more intense, thanks to a flavor boost from mushrooms. It’s available at Asian markets, many supermarkets and online.
Recipe: Portobello Mushroom Milanese
Portobello Mushroom Milanese, a blend of beef and oyster, trumpet, shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. As restaurants around the country make the humble mushroom an essential main dish, home cooks can learn a few tricks for dinner, too. Food styled by Hadas Smirnoff. (Armando Rafael, The New York Times)
Recipe from Marissa Lo
Adapted by Florence Fabricant
Milan. The city’s name represents a recipe. You know it: a flattened, crisply breaded surfboard of veal or chicken that’s often big enough to cover the plate. Sometimes fish is called on. Or pork. Here, the technique is applied to large mushrooms, which are also flattened and then treated to the step-by-step of a dusting of flour to dry the surface, then an egg wash to grab the final coating of crumbs. (The same technique will also produce a schnitzel.) Marissa Lo, executive chef at Boat House in Tiverton, Rhode Island, was inspired to try the technique with big portobello caps after visiting Italy. Serve them dressed with a tangle of salad greens, or top with tomato sauce and melted cheese like a Parm. However you serve your Milanese, consider a platter of them for a holiday party.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
- 4 large portobello mushrooms (or 8 medium)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
Preparation
1. Line a baking sheet large enough to hold the mushroom caps with parchment. Make the marinade: Combine garlic, rosemary, basil, thyme, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and oil.
2. Cut off and discard stems from the mushrooms and use a spoon to gently scrape away the gills under the caps.
3. On the prepared baking sheet, generously brush mushrooms on both sides with the marinade. With the mushrooms stem-side up, drizzle any remaining marinade over top. Gently press down on the mushrooms to flatten them somewhat. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast mushrooms for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Meanwhile, place flour in a wide shallow bowl. Beat eggs in another wide shallow bowl. In a third wide shallow bowl, mix panko with the cheese, parsley, garlic powder and onion powder; season with salt and pepper.
6. Line up the bowls with flour, beaten eggs and panko mixture. Gently flatten mushrooms one more time, then dredge the caps first in flour, then egg and lastly panko, pressing to coat each mushroom completely. Return to the baking sheet and refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
7. In a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet or regular pan, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium (use more oil if needed to cover the bottom of the pan). When oil is shimmering (this takes about 2 minutes), fry the breaded mushrooms, working in batches if necessary, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Season with salt, garnish with parsley and serve.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.