National Mushroom Month Recipes

It is National Mushroom Month, a time to celebrate the nutritional punch the humble mushroom adds to just about any meal. Whether you prefer the common button, meaty portobello, prized porcini, or any other type from the fungi family, they all offer a variety of important nutrients. While we’re always reminded to eat foods that resemble the colors of the rainbow, the mushroom is a delicious exception to the rule—one not to be overlooked. Potassium, selenium, antioxidants, and B vitamins are among the many nutrients in mushrooms. Even better, they come in a multitude of shapes and sizes that make them fun to cook with and a delight for creative chefs and fungiphiles everywhere.

To celebrate National Mushroom Month, we’ve rounded up some recipes that focus on this earthy ingredient.

Lump Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

• 1 can lump crab meat
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 oz. finely chopped parsley
• 1 egg, whisked
• 8 mushroom caps
• Parmesan cheese

Remove stems from mushroom caps and place in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Marinate for half an hour. Remove from marinade and place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. When cooked, remove and invert caps to remove all liquid. Place crab meat in a bowl and add lemon zest, chopped parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper and incorporate. Form into small balls, then stuff the lump crab into the mushroom caps. Put back into the oven and bake for another 6 minutes until crab is cooked and golden brown. Serve on a plate and spoon hollandaise over each mushroom cap and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese; serve hot.

Hollandaise Sauce

• 2 egg yokes
• 1 cup clarified butter
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ lemon
• Salt and pepper

Fill the bottom of a double boiler partway with water, making sure the water does not touch the top of the pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and 1 tablespoon of water until fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter to the egg yolk mixture, a spoon at a time, while whisking yolks continuously. If the Hollandaise starts to get too thick, add a touch of warm water and continue to whisk. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat. Keep sauce warm until ready to use.

Risotto Al Tartufo Bianco (serves 2)

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped onions
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chopped porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a pot, bring chicken stock to a boil. In a sauté pan, cook onions in butter until soft and glassy, not browned. Add uncooked rice and add 1 ladle of chicken stock at a time to rice. Stir with a wooden spoon until stock is absorbed.  Continue adding stock until rice is soft, tender.  Add chopped porcini mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. Stir to distribute mushrooms and cheese evenly throughout the rice. Plate and top with shaved fresh white truffles.

Roasted Mushroom Ravioli (serves 5)

• 1 qt. water
• 5 ea. ravioli, precooked
• ¾ Tbsp. butter
• 5 oz. porcini butter sauce (see recipe below)
• 1¼ tsp. chives, ¼ inch dice
• ½ oz. (wt.) Parmesan cheese, shaved

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a small saucepot. Add the ravioli and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Drain the pasta well then place in the pan and toss well. Place 1 ravioli on a warm, small plate then ladle 1 ounce of warm porcini butter sauce on top. Garnish each ravioli with ¼ diced chives and 2-3 pieces of shaved Parmesan cheese.

Porcini Butter Sauce:

• ¼ oz. (wt.) dried porcini mushrooms
• 1½ cups hot water
• ½ tsp. pomace oil
• 2 Tbsp. shallots, ¼ inch dice
• 3 ea. black peppercorns
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ lb. butter, lightly salted
• 1 pinch kosher salt

Place dried porcini mushrooms in a small mixing bowl then cover with hot water. Let sit for 30 minutes then drain well. Mince the mushrooms and reserve. Heat pomace oil in a small saucepot over medium heat. Add ¼-inch diced shallots and cook for 45 seconds or until translucent and tender. Add peppercorns, white wine and porcini mushrooms and bring to a boil; lower to medium heat and cook the liquid until reduced to ¼ cup. Add the cream and reduce to ½ cup. Whip the butter and kosher salt into the sauce. Strain the sauce through a chinoise into a container and hold at 140 degrees in the steam well.