A GUIDE TO Mushrooms

one of nature’s most versatile foods, mushrooms can be used in almost any way imaginable. They’re low in calories and nearly fat-free plus a good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc, and manganese, as well as a very good source of vitamin D, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. Here are highlights to help you select favorites.

Chanterelle

Trumpet-shaped with color ranging from yellow to orange. Delicate nutty flavor and somewhat chewy texture. Only harvested wild, they’re available fresh in summer and winter. Dried and canned available year-round.

USES: Salads, sauces, pastas, and risottos. Sauté in butter for a side dish, roast, or add to other dishes toward end of cooking to avoid toughening.

Morel

Spongy hollow cone shape cap; tan to dark brown color. Smoky, earthy, nutty flavor. Generally, the darker the color, the stronger the flavor. Dried have a more intense smokier flavor; excellent sub for fresh in sauces and stews. Wild April-June, cultivated sporadically throughout the year. Dried year-round.

USES: Sauté in butter or stu with crabmeat, lamb, pork, sausage, or rice.

Crimini

When white/button mushrooms grow larger they become dark brown, slightly firmer, and acquire a rich, earthy taste, and a new name, Cremini or Baby Bellas. The dark, spore-bearing gills create the deep flavor. Fully matured, these are called Portobellos.

USES: Raw on salads or sauté and add to pasta or other dishes.

Oyster

Fan-shaped with pale gray to dark brownish-gray color and smooth texture. Delicate, peppery, somewhat oyster-like flavor. Grows both wild and cultivated. Available year-round, also available canned (rinse before using).

USES: Raw in salads. Cooking brings out delicate flavor. Try in egg dishes, soups, and stir-fries.

Enoki

Clumps of long stems with small white button-shaped caps in cultivated variety; wild has orange-brown shiny caps. Crisp with a delicate almost fruity flavor. Before using, trim from the roots at base of stems. Also available canned.

USES: Good raw in salads and sandwiches, or garnish soups and other hot dishes. Add to hot dishes and stir-fries at the last minute, as heat can make them tough.

Porcini

Pale brown color, meaty caps with very fat stems. Smooth, meaty texture and pungent, woodsy flavor. Only found in the wild, the dried version is readily available and gives a great flavor boost to recipes. Soften in hot water for about 20 minutes before using.

USES: Sauté with garlic and olive oil, add to soups, stews, stu ngs, stir-fries, and pasta.

Portobello

Large (up to 6 inches), dark brown with an open, flat cap. Dense, meaty texture and concentrated flavor; more flavorful than younger, smaller cremini or white mushrooms. Woody stems should be removed but can be used in soups, stocks, etc. The caps can be chopped but more dramatic used whole.

USES: Grill, roast, stir-fry, bake, use in sandwiches, or add slices to salads or entrées.

Shiitake

Dark brown umbrella-shaped caps can be up to 10 inches across. The meaty flesh has full-bodied almost steak-like flavor. Fresh and dried available year-round (fresh most plentiful in spring and autumn). Remove tough stems but use to flavor sauces and stocks; then discard. Dried have excellent, intense flavor. Soak about 30 minutes to reconstitute.

USES: Sauté, broil, or bake, add to stir-fries, soups, and side dishes.

Straw

Named for the rice-straw beds on which they grow that lend musty, earthy nuances to their flavor. Small—about 1 to 1½ inches—they range from pale tan when young to charcoal gray when mature. Fresh cultivated available on occasion; more readily available canned. Popular in Asian cooking.

USES: Soup, stir-fries