Our travels along the West Coast took us through Oregon, both along the coast and the Cascade mountains.
Most of the foraged mushrooms I ordered as a chef in Virginia and Pennsylvania came from Oregon, so I was excited to get to Oregon
and go mushrooming.
I remember going mushroom-hunting with my parents in Germany. I learned quickly which ones were good to pick and to leave the ones I did not know.
I enjoyed the flavor from a young age and learned to appreciate them even more as I entered my culinary career. I knew Porcini mushrooms and other boletes, parasol mushrooms and chanterelles as a child but morels, blewit mushrooms, lobster mushrooms, winter chanterelles, hen of the woods, chicken of the woods and others I got to know whilst working in the kitchen both in the UK and in the US.
At the Inn at Little Washington we had foragers bring us mushrooms through the back door.
Most of the mushrooms I bought from a purveyor came from Oregon, though.
As we arrived in Oregon I asked around and was surprised to hear that the season starts in September with the rainfalls. It had been dry the whole summer and we arrived at the end of August. So we had to wait for rain. Someone told me that clouds at night move over the coastal mountains and that the humidity could be enough for mushrooms to grow.
So I set out with some of the children to see if we could find any. We had some success and found some chanterelles and lobster mushrooms. We had enough to make a delicious risotto.
A few days later there was a sprinkle of rain and we find a few more than the first time. Finally we had a full day of rain and I went with just Jojo and we found a lot of mushrooms. We found the most beautiful chanterelles but the majority were Lobster mushrooms.
Lobster mushrooms are russula or milk cap mushrooms that have been compositionally altered by a parasitic mold.
This may not sound very nice but they are actually delicious. They have a firm texture and a nutty, woodsy flavor and some say hints of seafood aroma.
We had a blast and used the mushrooms as a side with meat, made omelettes and a tasty mushroom pasta. Coincidentally we found the perfect wine to go with the pasta to make it one of those memorable meals one always remembers.
The season was short for us as we had to leave for California but in the end we had our fill of mushrooms and I can look forward to go morel-hunting in spring again.
A couple of things are important when cooking mushrooms; make sure you wash the mushrooms well before cooking and drain them well so they are dry.
Secondly, the pan should be thick so it holds the heat well. Get it smoking hot before adding the mushrooms.
Do not overfill the pan or it will cool down and the mushrooms release a lot of water and will steam rather than sear.
Butter herbs (thyme, Tarragon , rosemary) and garlic are perfect to finish the mushrooms at the end of cooking.
I love adding bacon bits to the mushrooms when I cook them as a side dish or for my omelet.
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