Sunday, July 4, 2010

Boletes and Morels

Five minutes on a quad from base camp takes us to a patch of forest that was kissed by fire last summer.

We've seen a few mushroom pickers here and there over the past couple of weeks.

A group of us went out a few nights ago to try our luck at spotting the gnarly little shrooms. We collected a dozen or so learning after we returned that there needs to be five days of sun before these little gems poke through the blackened earth. We haven't had a full day of sun in over a month.

The swarms of mosquitoes were well worth the effort for the small appetizer I produced of the morels sauteed in butter with a bit of fresh garlic, a pinch of mountain sage, salt and cracked pepper.

The wet weather we have been having has meant that a couple of the guys have brought home bags full of boletes (king and scaber) for dinner each night. The firm texture and nutty flavour of boletes has left the button mushrooms from last week's grocery order forever perched in the back of the fridge.

Cream n' Sherry Boletes

3 cups diced boletes (cleaned and cut out the bugs)

on medium heat saute 1 cup of the boletes in a cast iron frying pan with 1/4 cup of butter and 1 tsp salt (unless you're in a dry camp and you've only got salted sherry!)

when golden add the remaining boletes and cook until tender

over medium-low heat add 2/3 cup sherry

reduce until the sherry is almost completely gone

add a pinch of dried thyme

on low heat add a 1/3 cup of cream and reduce a bit

re-season with salt and cracked pepper

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