Overripe Shiitake
We have been growing our own shiitake mushrooms at the edge of our woods for about the last ten years. While it’s fun to walk outside and harvest them, you do have to pay attention to the weather or you can miss some good eating.
The shiitakes fruit best when temperatures are between the fifties to the seventies. They don’t do much in really hot weather. But that doesn’t mean they can’t sneak up on you. If you get a day or two of rain and some cool night temperatures shiitakes can bloom. Sometimes we miss them and sometimes they get big and water logged. They’re still edible but have to be used right away because they won’t store well.
One of the ways I use up the overgrown mushrooms is to make them into duxelles. If they’re really full of water I chop and sweat them in a medium hot dry cast iron frying pan until most of the moisture has disappeared. Then I proceed with the recipe below.
Recipe:
2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (shiitakes)
½ cup finely chopped onions or shallots
3 T. butter or oil or 1 1/2 T. each
a dash of salt and sugar – 1/4 tsp each (sugar is supposedly secret ingredient) I’m not sure I liked the sweetness though it was very minimal.
a drizzle of soy sauce, to taste – 1/2 Tbsp.
Thyme, garlic or ginger, if desired – I used thyme.
Sauté onion in butter or oil until transparent. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid evaporates and the mixture become thick. You should end up with about 1 cup of duxelles.
Freeze until ready to use. (I freeze 1/4 cup dollops on a wax paper covered cookie sheet then transfer to a container with wax paper leaves in between.) Add to omelets, pasta, bruschetta, or use in soups and stir fries. Or whatever else might suit your fancy.