Foraging

Gifts of the Pine

“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”  That may be the most famous quote from the father of modern…

Foraging

Feeling the Burn

Morel hunting the way I do it is a lonely affair. Miles walked in a beaten, burned landscape. A morel here, a morel there. It's not the bonanza of a big burn, but I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Recipe

Wild Mushroom Pierogi

Who doesn't love pierogi? I mean really. Little pockets of goodness, boiled briefly then fried and served with caramelized onions, sour cream and dill? Heaven on a plate. I made these with wild mushrooms, but any mushroom will do.

Mushrooms

Sparassis, the Elusive Cauliflower Mushroom

One of the greatest prizes in all of mushrooming, the cauliflower mushroom is both elusive and mesmerizing. It is the ultimate soup mushroom. Here's how to find and eat it.

Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi

Ramp Pasta with Morels

This might be the prettiest - and best-tasting - dish I've made this spring. You can really taste the ramps in the pasta, and the morels, cooked simply with ramps, butter and a little stock, compliment the pasta like sunshine on a pretty girl's eyes.

Fish

Trout with Morels and Wild Onions

Trout with morels, ramps and fiddleheads is a classic combination - all are in season at the same time, and in the same place. Even in the High Sierra, we have our own rendition, with bracken fiddleheads and Sierra wild onions. I call this dish Sierra Spring.

Recipe

Polish Fermented Mushrooms

I'd always been leery of the Slavic style of salt-pickled mushrooms. But I finally took the plunge and fermented my mushrooms Polish style, and damn but they're good -- especially with some rye bread and lots of vodka...

Mushrooms

Yellowfoot Chanterelles, My Secret Ingredient

No mushroom forms more of a backbone to my cooking than does the humble yellowfoot chanterelle. I will drive great distances in search of it, just so I have enough to get me through the dry months.

Mushrooms

Cooking the Magnificent Matsutake

Matsutake mushrooms are popping all over California's North Coast now. If you've never heard of them, matsutakes are one of the most prized mushrooms in Asia. Firm and clean-tasting, they have a beguiling aroma - like earthy cinnamon.

Mushrooms

Foraging for Meadow Mushrooms, Agaricus campestris

The common meadow mushroom has not been so common for me; I'd searched in vain for years to find them. Until last week, when Holly came home with a bushel of the mushrooms we call "pinks." I cooked them up using a classic Escoffier recipe, and lemme tell ya: It was worth the wait.

Mushrooms

Pickled Chanterelle Mushrooms

It is chanterelle season in much of America right now, and I am even hearing a few isolated reports of chanties here in California. What to do when you want to extend your season? Pickle your chanterelles. They're awesome preserved this way.

Mushrooms

Morel Mushroom Risotto

I make a lot of risotto, but I love mushroom risotto most of all. This is what I do when life gives me a basket of pretty fresh morels, and life's been good to me this season.