Grandma's Houby (Mushrooms)
If we were to have a family crest, mushrooms would figure prominently. My grandfather was a master mushroom hunter, and summers at our house in the Catskills saw him slicing and drying them in his room. He would thread them on strings zigzagging across his bedroom, which he kept very dry by lighting a fire in his wood stove every night. By the end of the summer, he would have accumulated a big wicker chest full of them. After he passed away in 2004, we went so far as to have a little set of mushrooms carved on his gravestone.
Even today, our upstate neighbors will remember him in his blue construction helmet and bright reflective vest, trampling through their backyards using his cane to push leaves and branches aside in his hunt. And how he would bemoan sunny summers, because they were bad for growing mushrooms!
I cannot describe to you the amazing flavor of mushrooms freshly picked, breaded, and fried...it is heavenly! And in the spirit of the season, a Christmas tree isn't a Christmas tree without little mushrooms perched on it. This is a family tradition I credit to my honorary aunt Marcela, whose tree is always well festooned with fungus (though she is most famous for lighting candles and sparklers on her tree - the Christmas miracle is that she has yet to burn her house down!)!
Among my grandmother's specialties are two very important recipes: mushroom soup and sautéed mushrooms. I'm saving the soup for another day - suffice to say we ate it often since we had to use up all those dried mushrooms - but her mushrooms are legendary, and now I know why (butter! butter! butter!). My grandmother doesn't cook too often anymore, so getting to enjoy her mushrooms is really a special occasion!
You will need:
3 tbs butter
3 tsp oil
1 medium onion
1 lb baby portobello mushrooms
1 lb button mushrooms
1 heaping tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
Start by slicing your onion, not too thin!
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat your butter and oil over medium-low heat and add the onions.
Gradually increase the heat to medium and cook them for about 15 minutes until they start to brown.
While the onions cook, clean your mushrooms, remove the stems, and cut into 1/4" slices. Note: do not rinse your mushrooms! They're already full of water and will release it while they cook. Instead rub them clean with a mushroom brush or a piece of paper towel.
Add the mushrooms to the pot in batches, letting each cook a few minutes before adding more.
When they have all been incorporated, add the caraway seeds and salt and mix thoroughly.
Continue cooking until most of the water has been absorbed. add the paprika, stir it in, and then turn off the heat.
The mushrooms can be served immediately or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze them.
Even today, our upstate neighbors will remember him in his blue construction helmet and bright reflective vest, trampling through their backyards using his cane to push leaves and branches aside in his hunt. And how he would bemoan sunny summers, because they were bad for growing mushrooms!
I cannot describe to you the amazing flavor of mushrooms freshly picked, breaded, and fried...it is heavenly! And in the spirit of the season, a Christmas tree isn't a Christmas tree without little mushrooms perched on it. This is a family tradition I credit to my honorary aunt Marcela, whose tree is always well festooned with fungus (though she is most famous for lighting candles and sparklers on her tree - the Christmas miracle is that she has yet to burn her house down!)!
Among my grandmother's specialties are two very important recipes: mushroom soup and sautéed mushrooms. I'm saving the soup for another day - suffice to say we ate it often since we had to use up all those dried mushrooms - but her mushrooms are legendary, and now I know why (butter! butter! butter!). My grandmother doesn't cook too often anymore, so getting to enjoy her mushrooms is really a special occasion!
3 tbs butter
3 tsp oil
1 medium onion
1 lb baby portobello mushrooms
1 lb button mushrooms
1 heaping tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
Start by slicing your onion, not too thin!
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat your butter and oil over medium-low heat and add the onions.
Gradually increase the heat to medium and cook them for about 15 minutes until they start to brown.
While the onions cook, clean your mushrooms, remove the stems, and cut into 1/4" slices. Note: do not rinse your mushrooms! They're already full of water and will release it while they cook. Instead rub them clean with a mushroom brush or a piece of paper towel.
Add the mushrooms to the pot in batches, letting each cook a few minutes before adding more.
When they have all been incorporated, add the caraway seeds and salt and mix thoroughly.
Continue cooking until most of the water has been absorbed. add the paprika, stir it in, and then turn off the heat.
The mushrooms can be served immediately or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze them.
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