Chanterelle Vichyssoise

By Jean O. Fahey, New York
From The Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook
Yield: 4 serving

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, my club, the Central New York Mycological Society, only met outdoors. I was committed to doing a mycophagy program, so I made it into a tailgate event after a masked foray. This soup is one of the dishes I made for the program. Leeks can be sandy, so make sure they are washed well. One way to wash them is to slice them lengthwise and wash between the rings. You can use fresh or frozen mushrooms in this soup, but frozen chanterelles do not need to be defrosted before cooking, as they can get rubbery.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cups chopped leeks, white part only, well washed
½ cup minced onions
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen chanterelle mushrooms, 8 to 12 ounces
1 to 1½ cups heavy cream
Salt and white pepper 
2 tablespoons minced chives, for garnish

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and onions and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the potatoes, stock, and wine. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium-sized skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chanterelles, turn the heat down to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms give up their water and the water evaporates, about 10 minutes.

Remove half of the leeks and potatoes from the soup pot and reserve in a bowl. Puree the remaining vegetables until very smooth, either by using an immersion blender or by pureeing in batches in a standing blender.

Return the puree and reserved vegetables to the soup pot and add the mushrooms. Over low heat, stir in the cream and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with chives.

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Black Trumpet Arancini over Sauce Bechamel
By Spike Mikulski



Yield: 20 each

2 quarts chicken stock
8 ounces salted butter
2 large Spanish onions
1 pound fresh black trumpet mushrooms
1 pound ground veal
8 ounces arborio rice
1 quart heavy cream
1 pound Swiss cheese, grated
4 large eggs
1 pint of water
1 teaspoon dried chili flake
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 cups breadcrumbs
3 cups corn flakes, pulsed in a food processor
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 dozen whole cloves
Kosher salt

In medium sauce pan heat 2 quarts of chicken stock to a simmer.

Heat 2 ounces of butter in a medium stock pot, fine dice 1 onion, add to pot, stir for about 3 minutes to sweat.

Rough chop the black trumpets, add to pot, stir for about 3 minutes or until aromatic.

Add the ground veal and disperse evenly into the pot, season with a pinch of the salt, raise the heat to high and brown the meat well.

Add the cup of arborio rice and stir vigorously to coat, Continue for about a minute.

Ladle 1 cup of hot chicken stock and stir into the rice, lower heat to a simmer, cook on low for about 5 minutes or until rice has absorbed the chicken stock and add another cup of chicken stock, continue this process until the stock is gone.

Remove from heat, add 3 ounces of the heavy cream and the Swiss cheese, stir until well blended.

Spread the hot rice mixture across a baking sheet and chill in refrigeration.

Roll the cold rice mixture into golf ball size spheres and place on a greased backing pan, place in a freezer until solid.

Set up a 3 tray breading station with one tray holding 2 cups of flour seasoned with a generous pinch of salt, one tray with the eggs, the water, and 4 ounces of cream, one tray with the breadcrumbs, cornflakes, red pepper flake, dried parsley, and 4 ounces of flour, blend well all the ingredients in each tray.

Bread the frozen rice balls by dredging in the tray of flour, then in the tray of egg mixture, lastly in the tray of seasoned breadcrumbs.

Preheat deep fryer to 275° F and blanch the arancini until barely light brown, place on a rack lined baking sheet, set aside in refrigeration until ready to serve.

Bake at 375° F until nicely brown and crisp before serving, serve on top of the Bechamel sauce.

For the Sauce:

In a medium sauce pot on medium heat melt 4oz of butter, add the remaining 4 ounces of flour to make a roux, stir continuously until the roux has colored in blonde, gradually add the remaining cream, bring to a boil then set to a simmer.

Skin the remaining onion, push all the cloves into the onion evenly and add to the pot, simmer for 20 minutes.

Adjust flavor with salt to taste, adjust consistency with water to desired thickness, mount with remaining butter.

Strain and set aside, heat before serving.


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Sulphur Shelf Chowder
By Spike Mikulski


Yield: 8 cup servings

2 pounds Laetiporus sulphureus
1 Large Spanish onion
4 stalks of celery
4 ounces bacon
3 medium Red Bliss potatoes
2 ounces all purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 quarts water
Salt and red pepper flake to taste
Parsley for garnish

In medium stock pot bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Clean the Laetiporus and chop into bite size pieces, add to boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the mushrooms reserving the liquid into a separate stock pot, set both aside.

Fine dice the bacon, onions, celery and small dice the potato. Heat a medium stockpot to medium heat and add bacon, cook until brown.Add Celery and Onion and sweat until tender (about 5 minutes) while stirring occasionally.

Add flour and stir well to incorporate with the rendered bacon fat, set heat to a low and stir for a few minutes until lightly turning brown. Add potato and stir. Add reserved Laetiporus stock, stir well until well blended and bring heat to a simmer, simmer for 20 minutes. Add Cream, chopped mushroom, dill, salt, and red pepper flake, taste and adjust with seasoning.

Heat before serving. Serve in soup bowls garnished with parsley.


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Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken of the Woods Mushroom
By Jess Starwood


Yield: 4 servings

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion sliced
2 garlic cloves chopped
a few Thai chilis, halved
3 quarter-inch slices slices galangal root, or ginger
1 lemongrass stalk pounded with the side of a knife and cut into 2-inch long pieces
2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups canned coconut milk
10 oz. chicken of the woods mushrooms (or substitute commercial maitake mushrooms)
1-2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2-3 green onions sliced thin
Fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish

Wash mushrooms gently and slice into bite sized pieces. Steam pieces for 25-30 minutes and set aside.

In a medium pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chili, galangal, lemongrass, and red curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until onions are softened.  

Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain out all aromatics and return broth to the pot.

Add in coconut milk and mushrooms. Simmer gently to allow mushrooms to absorb the flavors, about 10 min, then add soy sauce, coconut sugar, and lime juice, plus more of each to taste.

Cook 2 more minutes, then ladle into serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro.


Maitake Mushroom Pate

By Julie Schreiber, California
Yield: About 1 Pint

I am a winemaker and professional chef, but I cook for various mushroom events in my free time. I have been cooking dinners at the Sonoma County Mycological Association’s mushroom camp for years. At those events, I like to serve mushroom pates as starters, because they bring people to the table. I found a basic mushroom pate recipe online years ago, and have made countless adaptations over the years. This version is my favorite.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
12 ounces maitake mushrooms, broken or sliced into chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onions
3 small bay leaves
4 whole juniper berries
1/3 cup hard dry apple cider
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the maitake and cook, for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms start to brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring periodically, until the mushrooms release their liquid, and the liquid begins to evaporate.

Remove the lid and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, the onions, the bay leaves and the juniper berries. (Count the leaves and berries, because you will remove them later.) Increase the heat to medium and cook until onions are golden, about 5 minutes. There may be brown bits accumulating in the bottom of the pan. This is good! Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cider, stirring to scrape up all the brown bits. Allow the liquid to cook off completely, a few minutes, then add the squeeze of lemon juice and stir.

Lower the heat to medium and add the cream. Cook gently for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, to reduce the liquid. Taste to see if it needs more salt, then take it off the heat. Let the mushrooms cool, then pick out all the bay leaves and juniper berries. Pour the mushrooms into a food processor and pulse to blend to a rough paste. Pack into a pint jar (or, for individual servings, four quarter-pint jars) and refrigerate. The pate holds in the refrigerator up to five days.

Serve the pate at room temperature with marinated olives, cornichons, and bread or crackers, if you like.




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Morels Stuffed with Sausage and Sage
By Sebastian Carosi, Oregon

Yield: 4 servings
As a professional chef, I rely heavily on the recipes my family has passed down through the generations. But let’s look further back: I think that when we eat wild foods, we relive deeply satisfying ancestral memories. The morel is more than just a wild food; it is among the most delectable of edibles. For me, good eating provides plenty of motivation to fill my basket with wild morels. I’ve used this family recipe, which is of Italian origin, many times.

12 ounces ground pork 
¼ cup golden raisins, plumped in hot water and chopped
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons peeled and grated sweet onions
2 tablespoons toasted and chopped pine nuts (see note)
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves, 2 to 3 large fresh sage leaves, and 8 to 12 very small fresh sage leaves, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon wild fennel pollen (optional)
20 medium-sized morels (any Morchella species except M. verpas), washed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rendered bacon fat
4 tablespoons salted butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine the pork, raisins, breadcrumbs, cheese, onions, pine nuts, minced sage, parsley, garlic, thyme, and fennel pollen, if using, in a medium mixing bowl. Mix and set aside.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small regular tip with the pork filling. Pipe the filling into the morels, place on a baking tray and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Alternatively, roll the pork mixture into meatballs a little smaller than your morels and stuff the caps. You may have to slit open the stems to do this.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Heat the vegetable oil and bacon fat in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the stuffed morels and brown them for 4 minutes or so, then add the large sage leaves and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes. Place the skillet into the hot oven and cook the morels for 8 to 10 minutes until the pork filling has lost its pink hue.

Remove the skillet from the oven and place it back on the burner. Add the butter and small sage leaves and heat over medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter is browned.

Season the morels with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

Note: To toast pine nuts, place the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Shaking the pan frequently, toast the nuts until they begin to take on a golden color. Remove from the heat promptly.

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Morel-Encrusted Tuna
By Tim Leavitt, Washington


Yield: 4 Servings

I started picking mushrooms in Oregon when I was a child, and by middle school, I was selling mushrooms to grocery stores. I studied mycology with David Hosford at Central Washington University, and when I graduated, I worked with Paul Stamets at Fungi Perfecti. I also worked for the USDA surveying mushrooms
and creating environmental impact statements. I later started a truffle farm, which, unsurprisingly, failed. Now I am growing and cooking mushrooms. I first published a version of this recipe in my book Cooking Wild Mushrooms for People Who Don’t Like Mushrooms. You can substitute the tuna with scallops or beef, and the morels with dried honey mushrooms or shiitake. Altogether, the dish takes about an hour, although you aren’t really doing anything most of the time.

14 ounces fresh tuna steaks, about 2 inches thick
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
2 cups dried morels
2 to 4 tablespoons coconut or avocado oil,
or other neutral oil

Bring the tuna to room temperature. Pour the soy sauce in a plate with a rim and place the fish in the sauce. Allow to rest about 20 minutes on each side. While you are waiting, grind the morels into a fine powder using a spice or coffee bean grinder.

Remove the fish from the soy sauce and sprinkle the morel powder all over; pat the powder into the meat with your fingers and then let rest for 25 minutes. This allows the mushrooms to adhere to the meat and reconstitute.

Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium-low until it just starts to smoke. Sear the tuna for 3 to 31⁄2 minutes on each side (searing for a total of 6 to 7 minutes should be enough to ensure the morels are thoroughly cooked). Avoid moving the fish while it is searing.

Let the tuna rest for a few minutes, then slice. This preparation is wonderful by itself or served as a tataki salad.

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Marinated Mushrooms
By Eugenia Bone, New York


Makes about 3 pints

These mushrooms will marinate in the fridge, and hold for at least ten days. They are very versatile, and quite delicious. I use them on crostini, mixed with grilled scallops to make an antipasto salad, on pizza and in ricotta pie. You can sauté the mushrooms in 100% coconut oil instead of olive oil. This lends a lovely sweetness to the dish.

1 1/2 pounds mixed cultivated mushrooms, like white buttons, shiitake, oyster, and maitake 
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme 
1 4-inch sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 3/4 cups olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Clean and slice the mushrooms, but do not mix them together. Here’s why: different mushrooms cook at different rates, so it is best to do a batch of all the same species at a time.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add one species of mushrooms, and cook until they are golden and fork tender. Some will release quite a bit of water, and you should cook those until their water has mostly evaporated. All mushrooms will cook within 10 minutes. Pour the cooked mushrooms into a large non-reactive bowl, and continue with the remaining olive oil and remaining species of mushrooms.

Or you can roast them. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Chop the mushrooms to a uniform size (I like bigger rather than smaller pieces) and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Bake until the mushrooms are tender. They will be golden and slightly crispy on the edges, about 10 minutes.

Once all the mushrooms are cooked and in the large bowl, add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, peppercorns, (count them—you will have to fish them out later), lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

Have ready 3 sterilized pint jars, bands, and lids. To sterilize the jars, bands, and lids, boil them in water for 10 minutes. You do not need to use new lids because you will not process these jars. Spoon the mushrooms into the jars. Wipe the rims, place on the lids, and screw on the bands. For information about preserving in oil see page 00. 

Fish out the bay leaf and peppercorns before serving.

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Oyster Schnitzel
(Breaded Oyster Mushrooms)
By Robert Courteau, Ottawa, Canada

6 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 Tbsp onion flakes
1/2 Tbsp each of salt and pepper
6 palm sized oyster mushrooms
Oil for frying
Lemon for garnish

Place your chipotle powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper into the olive oil and mix well, then submerge your clean oysters into the marinade. Leave for 5 minutes to 1 hour.

Mix your egg and milk together. Separately, mix your breadcrumb onion flakes, red pepper flakes, and the remaining salt, pepper and garlic powder.

One by one, dip the mushrooms into the flour, then egg wash, then breadcrumb mixture, ensuring full coverage at each step.

Once all mushrooms have been fully breaded, heat up the oil in a fryer, dutch oven or cast iron pan to 375. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip the end of a spoon into the oil and small ring of floating bubbles indicates a perfect temperature.

Fry the mushrooms without crowding them. At the right temperature, it should take approximately 5 minutes to fry to a dark golden color. Remove to a paper towel, and add a pinch of salt all over. Serve with a lemon slice.

This can be served as a main course with a side, or as an appetizer. Serves two.

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