Sometimes, if you're lucky, you may wander so deep into a forest that it - and you - feel primeval. Yesterday my wife and I found ourselves in just such a mental and physical space. Up to our knees in mud, bare legs and arms stung by nettles, somehow impossibly the sweet scent of peaches hanging in the humid air.
Late on the trail, crossing a heavy flowing run, on the opposite bank, a bright yellowish orange mass winked from beneath green foliage. The top of the mushroom was shiny, but not slimy, and when I picked one and turned it over, I immediately noticed the false gills running down the stem. Without an identification book to consult, I could guess that it was a chanterelle, but not know for sure, so I brought one home with me. Further research revealed that it was indeed a smooth chanterelle, and that it is one of the most choice wild mushrooms to be had.
Often I identify mushrooms I find on walks and hikes, and even though sometimes the mushrooms are edible, I usually only pick and eat wild mushrooms when I'm foraging with our close friend and expert, Al. Only one other time have I eaten what I collected, and that was a meadow mushroom, the common wild variety of the ubiquitous store bought button mushroom. With this find my curiosity grew as I read how to best prepare chanterelle mushrooms. Most recipes called for sauteeing in butter, but one said to start in a hot dry pan to render the water from the mushrooms and allow it to cook off, and then add the butter. Which is exactly what I did, and the results blew me away. Easily the most delicious mushroom I've ever tasted, and why we're returning to the scene this morning to collect more for dinner tonight. Prepared as before, then tossed with linguini in the pan and plated, with Alfredo sauce added at the end. I picked fresh lettuce first thing this morning, so I'm set.
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