Spring is wild mushroom season in many parts of the country. It’s the time when mushroom hunters spirit away to their secret spots and come back, if they’re lucky, with a mother lode of these earthy delicacies. The wild mushroom’s cousins, cultivated mushrooms, are available all year, but they seem new again this time of year, adding a savory note to the fresh flavors of spring.
Whether you hunt mushrooms in the wild or in the produce aisle, one of the best ways to enjoy them is simply sautéed. Choose a skillet just large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer. Heat the skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it’s hot, add equal parts oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter has just started to brown, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly until they’re browned, usually about 2-3 minutes. I like to sauté them until they’re even a little crisp around the edges. The complex, intense flavor of the caramelized mushrooms is delicious. All they need is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and maybe some chopped fresh herbs like parsley, sage, or chives. Sautéed mushrooms are great with pasta and rice, over nearly anything from the grill, as an addition to salads or sautéed greens, or in omelets.
Mushrooms also show up in the hearty soups, stews, and braises of fall and winter, but in the spring I especially like them in the light, brothy soups that come from Asian cuisines: Miso Soup, Asian Vegetable Noodle Soup, Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp, and Egg Drop Soup. Mushrooms round out the delicate flavors of spring braises, too, in our Braised Salmon with Asparagus and Mushrooms and Braised Spring Vegetables.
In some of my favorite spring dishes, mushrooms move from a supporting role to center stage. Wild Mushroom Risotto has layers of tasty mushroom flavor from fresh wild mushrooms and MTG’s Mushroom Essence. Morel Sauce is a decadent combination of fresh (or dried) morels, our White Wine Sauce, and silky cream—it’s terrific over fat spears of roasted asparagus. When I’m in the mood for something really rich and indulgent, there’s Penne with Morels, pasta tossed with a morel cream sauce accented with our Mushroom Essence, bacon, shallots, and sherry.
Perhaps the best way to enjoy spring mushrooms, wild or cultivated, is with this simple pasta dish:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a skillet, sauté some fresh mushrooms until they’re browned and almost crisp. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set them aside. Add 4 cups of our diluted Mushroom Essence to the skillet and bring it to a low simmer over low heat, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Leave the mushroom stock at a simmer and cook some simple cheese ravioli in the boiling water. When the pasta is almost done, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the simmering mushroom stock. Cook it for a few minutes in the stock, then transfer it to warmed shallow bowls. Ladle some of the mushroom stock over the ravioli and top it with the sautéed mushrooms, a generous grind of pepper, some grated Parmesan, and chopped fresh mint or chives.
It’s spring in a bowl—and the perfect use for your mother lode, whether from the forest or the grocery store.
