Munchies

MUNCHIES GETTING MUSHY

AS AN ANGLER, YOU PROBABLY SPEND A LOT MORE TIME WANDERING AROUND FORESTS THAN MOST PEOPLE DO. AS WE HIT THAT SEASONAL PERINEUM KNOWN AS AUTUMN/FALL IN SOUTH AFRICA, WITH THE MIX OF HEAT AND RAIN COMES SOGGY HUMIDITY. THAT MEANS IT’S MUSHROOM TIME. FORAGING EXPERT CHARLIE STANDING OF THE URBAN HUNTER GATHERER ( THEURBANHUNTERGATHERER.COM ) GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT LIES BENEATH.

Photos. Micky Wiswedel

There are thousands of mushrooms or fungi out there, many of them edible and plenty that aren’t. It’s natural, if you are new to foraging, to feel a little afraid of getting it wrong. A good general rule of thumb is to avoid mushrooms with white gills. The best thing to do is to forage with someone who knows more than you do. In the interests of health, safety, flavour and brevity, I’ve narrowed down the selection to identifying three of the most delicious and widespread mushrooms found both in South Africa (and in many other countries). Once you know what to look for and have picked and cooked a few, you will never look back.

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS

Also known as Sulphur Polypore or Sulphur Shelf, Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a bracket fungi that, you guessed it, tastes like chicken and lives in the woods, growing off the sap of oak trees. You’ll also find it growing on gum/eucalyptus trees, but those ones don’t taste great and can make you feel a bit queasy. Chicken of the Woods appears at the driest time of the year, right before the rains so, where I live in the Western Cape of South Africa, that’s any time from the end of January to April. It’s one of those fungi that you can’t really go out looking for, but more something you happen upon. Pick them at their freshest because when it’s old and saggy, it’s not worth it. If you find a lot, they freeze well. Fresh, you can treat them just like chicken – grill, roast or braai.

OPINEL - NO 8 STAINLESS MUSHROOM KNIFE

Designed for foraging mushrooms, this nifty tool from French knifemaker Opinel sports a curved blade for cutting stems and a brush for removing dirt.

awesometools.co.za

PINE RINGS

Also known as the Saffron Milk Cap or Lactarius deliciosus (delicious milk cap), pine rings have this incredible nutty flavour and are possibly my favourite mushrooms. They appear at the same time of year as Porcini, just after the first heavy rains, but stick around a bit longer. The gills are orange and, if you cut the stem, it has an orange outer ring and pale centre. Like most mushrooms, they are brilliant, pan-fried in butter or oil with salt, pepper and herbs, but pine rings are quite robust and can stand up to strong Asian flavours too. If the stems are tough, I often cook the caps and keep the stems for a deep, flavoursome stock that has this coppery tinge to it.

PORCINI

One of the most widespread and sought-after mushrooms in the world, Porcini or Boletus edibilus are beloved by chefs and home cook alike. Part of the greater Boletus family, Porcini are found under oak and pine trees, but you also get tasty Boletus that grow under poplars and other trees. Porcini, however, are first prize. After the first heavy rains of the year, they will appear about ten days later. I find them more on the fringes of a copse of trees, rather than right under a tree. Cut them into steaks and grill them in the oven; put them on the braai; have them pan-fried on toast or use dried Porcini as the star of the show in a pasta or risotto.

THOUGHT FOR FOOD

NOT QUITE PLANTS, BUT ALSO NOT QUITE ANIMALS, FUNGI ARE NOT ONLY DELICIOUS BUT WE ARE RAPIDLY DISCOVERING THAT THEY MAY HOLD THE KEY TO MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS.

CARRY…

…a copy of Gary B. Goldman and Marieka Gryzenhout’s Field Guide

To Mushrooms and Other Fungi

of South Africa if you are looking to get clued up on the subject of mushrooms, edible or not.

penguinrandomhouse.co.za

READ…

…Entangled Life by Cambridgeeducated biologist, Merlin Sheldrake. Not only does the author have a name appropriate for a wizard, but he has a magical way with words, taking the reader deep into the incredible world of fungi, which are everywhere all the time and always have been. At the beginning and the end of all life, they can change minds, heal bodies and maybe even stave off environmental disaster caused by us. amazon.com

LISTEN…

…To ‘How Mushrooms Can

Save You (and perhaps) The

World,’ Tim Ferris’s wide-ranging podcast interview with leading mycologist (mushroom expert) Paul Stamets. From breaking down plastics, to combatting depression, to fixing a stutter (Stamets’s personal experience), the implications and applications of what fungi can do are mind-blowing.

tim.blog

WATCH…

… Fantastic Fungi, perhaps the seminal fungi film out there. File this one next to your Attenborough must-watch catalogue. Narrated by Brie Larson and featuring lauded mycological amateurs and scientists from Paul Stamets to Michael Pollan, Fantastic Fungi is a brilliant immersive journey into the world beneath our feet, an underground network that can help heal the planet. fantasticfungi.com

MUNCHIES LINGUINE WITH PORCINI, HERBS & CREAM

If you find Porcini which are a little slimy from lying around for a few days, don’t ignore them. Those are the ones you want to dry and jar because dried porcini have a stronger, more concentrated flavour than the fresh ones and can keep providing your diet with phenomenal umami flavour kicks long after mushroom season is over. Drying: cut your porcini into 2cm thick pieces and place them on a drying rack (an oven rack will do the job). Leave them to dry for 4-5 days, during which time your home will be filled with the heavenly smell of porcini. When you jar them in glass jars, make sure you do not do it on a cloudy or rainy day as that will leave moisture in the jars and encourage mould.

INGREDIENTS:

• Linguine (100gm per person) or any pasta you like. Fusilli also work well. • 40gms dried porcini. Reconstitute them by placing your dried porcini in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Leave them to steep (the aroma will take over your kitchen). • Parmesan or pecorino cheese. • - ½ a white onion. • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed. • 125ml cream. • Sage, rosemary or thyme (wild or otherwise), plus parsley to finish. • Olive oil. • White wine. • Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

ª Fry the onions in a large pan in olive at a medium heat until translucent, about 3-5 mins. • Remove the porcini from the bowl and gently squeeze most of the liquid from them. Chop roughly. Make sure you retain the mushroom broth. • Put your pasta into a pot of boiling water and cook as per instructions on the box. • Add garlic and chopped sage, rosemary or thyme (or a combo) to the pan. After 3-5 mins add the porcini. Increase the heat to high, add salt and pepper and fry the porcini till they take on the heat and meld with the other ingredients. • Add a generous slosh of white wine to the rest of the ingredients to deglaze the pan. Once most (but not all) of the liquid has reduced, add half a cup of mushroom broth (the liquid left over from rehydrating the dried mushrooms). Let it cook down. • Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper. • Add 125mls of cream. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes. • Your sauce is ready if you scrape your finger down the back of the wooden spoon and it does not run back at you. If it’s too thick add a little more cream. • Once cooked al dente, lift the pasta from the pot with tongs and add it to the pan with the mushrooms. A bit of pasta water will travel with it, that’s good. • Add chopped parsley to the pan, toss it all together and serve topped with grated parmesan or pecorino.

KOB CRAZY AT KAROOLSKRAAL

ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST SALTWATER FLY FISHING DESTINATIONS, KAROOLSKRAAL FLY FISHING CAMP ON THE BREEDE RIVER BOASTS NOT ONLY INCREDIBLE FLY FISHING FOR KOB (SEVERAL GIANTS OF 100CM + HAVE BEEN RECORDED), BUT ALSO BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITIES TO TARGET SPOTTED GRUNTER ON THE MUD FLATS AS WELL AS THOSE HIGH-SPEED ADRENALIN JUNKIES, LEERVIS. ADDED BONUS - IT’S LOCAL, SO NO PASSPORTS REQUIRED.

The Karoolskraal experience includes comfortable tented accommodation, eco-ablutions, all meals and drinking water. We can also provide a spit braai on request. Open for day trips, 3-day or 5-day stays