Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 5: Dishes with mushrooms as a basis
• Method 2 of 5: Basic mushroom sauce recipe
• Method 3 of 5: Basic recipe for mushroom soup
• Method 4 of 5: Cooking with dried mushrooms
• Method 5 of 5: Find mushrooms
• Tips
• Warnings

You probably know regular mushrooms, but there are many other types of mushrooms that you can eat. Edible mushrooms come in all shapes and colors, and you can use them in many different ways in the kitchen. You can make simple dishes with mushrooms as a base, but you can also use them as an additional ingredient to add flavor to a variety of sauces and main dishes. Mushrooms are rich in nutrients, including Vitamin B and minerals such as selenium, copper and potassium. Mushrooms thus form a nutritious addition to your diet. In this article you can read how and where you can find mushrooms and in what tasty and nutritious dishes you can use them.

To step

Method 1 of 5: Dishes with mushrooms as a basis

1. Prepare the mushrooms first. Before you can cook with mushrooms, they must be dry and clean.
   • Do not wash the mushrooms. You should never submerge mushrooms in water.
   • If you submerge mushrooms in water, they absorb a lot of moisture, and wet mushrooms will not brown nicely in the pan. Due to the moisture, a large part of the subtle mushroom flavor is also lost.
   • Gently wipe the mushrooms one by one with a damp cloth or a damp paper towel. Don't wipe too hard or too long. The sweeping is only intended to remove any dirt such as soil, sand or dust.
   • You can also wipe the mushrooms with a special mushroom brush.
2. You can prepare mushrooms very easily without many extra additives. Mushrooms have their own, specific flavor that comes into its own when you prepare the mushrooms with no more than a little butter or olive oil. Mushrooms contain a lot of water and therefore they shrink considerably during cooking. They also absorb a lot of the fat you prepare them in, so always use good quality butter or oil to prepare mushrooms.
   • You can also bake mushrooms in the oven. This is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness. Cover the mushrooms with oil and bake them nicely brown in the oven at a temperature of 200˚C.
   • You can also bread mushrooms, just like you would with a schnitzel, and then deep-fry them. When frying, use good quality oil that you can heat to high temperatures, such as palm oil, coconut oil or peanut oil.
   • Another simple and very tasty way to prepare mushrooms is to simply stir-fry them with a little oil and soy sauce.
   • In summer you can also roast mushrooms on the barbecue. You can place the mushrooms directly on the grill of the barbecue and roast them nicely brown, or you can use a grill pan for roasting. To give the mushrooms a little more flavor, you can marinate them first.
   • You can also simply bake in the frying pan. This is one of the most common ways to prepare mushrooms.Heat a lot of oil or butter in a frying plan and fry the mushrooms nicely brown in it.
3. Combine mushrooms with eggs.
   
   Eggs and mushrooms go very well together in a large number of tasty dishes that are not difficult at all to make.
   • Spice up scrambled eggs by adding mushrooms and garlic.
   • Mushrooms are also very tasty as an addition to an omelet or fried egg.
   • Spanish tortillas, savory pies and oven dishes such as lasagne get a nice earthy taste when you add mushrooms.
4. Stuffed mushrooms are a quick and easy starter. You often see this in restaurants and at parties.
   • First remove the stems from the mushrooms. For stuffed mushrooms, you should have mushrooms without stalks. After all, you need space for the filling.
   • You can make a quick and easy filling with some breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs, beaten egg, fried onion, herbs to taste and grated cheese.
   • Fill the caps of the mushrooms with this mixture. The filling should stick out like a small mountain above the edge.
   • Bake the stuffed mushrooms in the oven at a temperature of 200˚C. The stuffed mushrooms are ready as soon as the caps have turned a nice brown and the filling has turned golden yellow.
   • You can experiment with different types of fillings. You can even turn it into a hobby and try something different every time. Be creative!
5. You can add mushrooms to all kinds of famous dishes. Mushrooms can make a well-known recipe that little bit more interesting because they give the dish extra flavor and depth. For example, try endive stew with fried mushrooms or oyster mushrooms.
   • Add mushrooms to pasta sauces. Mushrooms make an excellent addition to a wide variety of pasta sauces. They work very well in a traditional bolognese sauce, for example, but mushrooms also go well with the creamy taste of an alfredo sauce.
   • Mushrooms can also be used as a filling for ravioli or cannelloni, but also in quiches and soufflés.
   • You can add mushrooms to the filling of sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, sandwiches and other lunch dishes. Mushrooms give these types of dishes more flavor and also ensure that they are more filling. You can even make a sandwich with a portobello mushroom as the base.
   • You can of course also use mushrooms as a topping on a pizza.
   • Meat dishes get extra flavor when you add mushrooms. Mushrooms combine well with beef and pork, but also with chicken. Fried mushrooms are often served as a garnish on a steak or with pork tenderloin, and they also go very well with the gravy.

Method 2 of 5: Basic mushroom sauce recipe

1. Prepare the ingredients. To make the sauce quickly, it is best if you prepare all the ingredients in advance. You need this:
   • Butter
   • 200 g sliced ​​mushrooms or other mushrooms
   • 1 very finely chopped shallot
   • 100 ml beef stock
   • Fresh green herbs
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. To do this, use a frying pan that is large enough that you can spread the mushrooms in one layer over the bottom of the pan. So they should not overlap.
   • Do not set the heat too high, otherwise the butter will turn brown and that is not the intention.
   • Keep a close eye on the melting butter. The bottom of the pan should be completely covered with butter.
   • The butter is hot enough when it stops foaming. This is when you can add the other ingredients.
3. Add 200 grams sliced ​​mushrooms or other mushrooms and a very finely chopped shallot to the butter in the pan. The pan should not be too full of mushrooms.
   • Fry the mushrooms until golden brown and soft, stirring.
   • Be careful not to burn the shallots. Shallots have a very nice taste that is ruined if the pieces of onion burn.
   • Set the heat to half high.
   • Add 100 ml beef stock and let it cook for five minutes without a lid on the pan. This will thicken the sauce.
   • Reduce the heat to medium-low while reducing.
   • Stir the sauce from time to time to prevent bits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
   • Stand by it and make sure that the sauce does not boil over.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir 1 tablespoon of butter and fresh herbs into the sauce to taste.
   • Herbs such as thyme and tarragon complement the taste of mushrooms well. Chives and basil are also good options.
   • Stir the butter and herbs carefully into the sauce.
   • Pour or spoon the sauce warm over the dish you want to serve the sauce with. The sauce is very tasty with chicken, beef and pasta.

Method 3 of 5: Basic recipe for mushroom soup

1. Make sure you have everything at home. If you prepare everything in advance, this soup is made in no time. You need this:
   • 1 half or 1 small chopped onion
   • Butter
   • 250 grams of finely chopped mushrooms
   • 6 tablespoons of flour
   • half a liter of chicken stock (self-drawn, from a cube or from a jar)
   • Salt and pepper
2. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. The pan should be large enough for the mushrooms and stock.
   • Don't turn the heat up too high while melting the butter or it will turn brown and that's not supposed to be.
   • Reduce heat to medium to high and turn the pan around so that the melting butter completely covers the bottom of the pan.
   • As soon as the butter no longer foams, it is hot enough and you can add the other ingredients.
3. Add the onion to the butter in the pan. You are now going to fry the onion in the butter.
   • Turn the pieces of onion regularly so that they are cooked evenly.
   • Fry the onion until light brown and translucent.
   • Now turn the heat to half high.
4. Add the finely chopped mushrooms to the fried onion in the pan. Now it is the turn of the mushrooms to be fried. They should be done in a few minutes.
   • Fry the mushrooms until golden and tender.
   • Do not overcook the mushrooms or they will become tough and rubbery.
   • If you like garlic, now is the time to add it to the mushrooms and onion in the pan.
   • When the mushrooms are cooked, you can continue making the soup.
5. Stir together the flour and chicken stock. Pour this mixture into the pan with the mushrooms.
   • Bring the ingredients to the boil together. Stir occasionally so the mushrooms don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
   • Let it boil for two minutes. After two minutes, the mixture should have thickened a bit.
   • If the soup has not thickened after two minutes, let it cook for a few more minutes.
6. Now add a pinch of salt and pepper to the soup. Now the last step of the cooking process follows.
   • Lower the heat.
   • Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
   • Taste the soup and add some salt and pepper if necessary.
   • Serve the soup warm.

Method 4 of 5: Cooking with dried mushrooms

1. Buy dried mushrooms. You can get dried mushrooms in most of the better stocked supermarkets and delicatessens these days. In the past they were quite expensive, but they are gradually becoming more affordable. Dried mushrooms have the advantage that you don't need so much of them, because with a relatively small amount you give a mushroom dish a lot of extra flavor.
   • Roughly speaking, there are two types of dried mushrooms: Asian mushrooms (such as shiitake and tree ears) and mushrooms from Europe and America (porcini mushrooms, morels, chanterelles, bolets, etc.).
   • If you keep them in a tightly closed container, you can store dried mushrooms in a dry environment for up to a year.
   • To give a dish more flavor, dried mushrooms are often used in combination with a cheaper type of fresh mushrooms.
2. Let the mushrooms soak first. Before you can use dried mushrooms in anything, you must first soak them in water.
   • Soaking the mushrooms has its advantages. The mushrooms will quickly absorb themselves completely with water and at the same time they give a lot of flavor to the soaking water. You can use the leftover soaking water in many dishes.
   • The very first thing to do when you want to make a dish with dried mushrooms is soak the mushrooms.
   • Use room temperature water. Make sure the mushrooms are well under water.
   • Mushrooms that have already been pre-cut into thin slices shouldn't need to be soaked for much longer than half an hour.
   • Thicker cut and whole mushrooms may need to be soaked for 8 hours or more.
   • Rinse the mushrooms after soaking to remove any sand or dust. Dried mushrooms have the disadvantage that they sometimes have a layer of dust or sand on them, which is not so tasty. You can largely remove this dust by rinsing the mushrooms with clean water after soaking.
3. Do not throw away the soaking water. There is a lot of flavor in the soaking water and you can use it very well in recipes that require broth or stock.
   • If you do not want to use the moisture immediately, you can keep it in a closed container or bowl in the refrigerator. In this way the moisture remains good for a number of days.
   • And if you want to keep it even longer, you can even freeze it.
   • There is probably a lot of dirt or dust from the mushrooms in the soaking water.
   • Before you process the soaking water somewhere, you must therefore first sieve it.

Method 5 of 5: Find mushrooms

1. Make sure you know the difference between the different types of mushrooms. Before you can start looking for mushrooms yourself, you must first know very well which mushrooms are edible, what those types look like and where they grow.
   • Mushrooms that are often picked in the wild in the Netherlands include boletus, chanterelles and porcini mushrooms.
   • Always be careful. Some poisonous mushroom species can look almost or even exactly like certain edible mushroom species that are often sought after.
   • For example, the green tuber anamite is very poisonous, while this mushroom is sometimes very similar to the normal white mushrooms that you buy in the store.
   • Only eat a mushroom if you are absolutely sure which species you are dealing with.
   • Even if you have already established the mushroom's identity, it is best to sample only a small portion first to make sure you don't react to it incorrectly.
   • To determine the identity of a mushroom species, consult a number of different guides or handbooks. If you have found a mushroom and you are not quite sure what kind it is, seek the advice of an expert before eating the mushroom.
   • Discard the mushroom if you have any doubts.
2. Mushrooms can be found in wooded areas. Finding mushrooms is not for every hiker. Poisonous mushrooms can be very dangerous and coming into contact with them can make you sick or even die.
   • Some mushrooms grow on tree roots or fallen trees, but there are also mushrooms that grow on the ground.
   • It's a good idea to bring a mushroom book. A mushroom book or guide often states where mushrooms occur and what types they are.
   • In the different seasons you can find different types of mushrooms, but in the Netherlands most mushroom varieties naturally grow in the autumn.
   • A good time to look for mushrooms is when it has just rained. Mushrooms need a lot of moisture to grow.
   • If you are going to look for mushrooms in a place you know, you can ask the people in the area for advice. There are also so-called “deadly duos”, that is to say that a certain type of mushroom can be edible in one place, while mushrooms look exactly the same in another place can be poisonous.
3. Pick some mushrooms. Keep the different types of mushrooms you collect carefully separated. If you accidentally pick a poisonous mushroom, it could also poison the rest.
   • Collect the mushrooms in a flat-bottomed basket. You can also use a cotton bag with a flat bottom and place a piece of cardboard at the bottom for reinforcement.
   • Do not use a plastic bag or purse. In a plastic bag it becomes too moist and that is detrimental to the taste and quality of the mushrooms.
   • Moreover, a plastic bag or bag does not protect the mushrooms well enough. If you transport the mushrooms in a plastic bag, you can accidentally crush or damage them if you accidentally bump into something.
   • Cut the stem of the mushrooms at the base with a pocket knife.
4. Make sure the mushroom is in good condition. Mushrooms that are old, rotten, or damaged are not worth collecting.
   • A mushroom is fresh when the cap is clean and clear in color and if there are no cracks or unsightly spots on it.
   • The pictures on the bottom of the hat should be pale pink or at least not too dark in color.
   • If you are not sure if the mushroom is in good condition, or if you think it may be damaged, leave the mushroom.
5. You can of course also buy mushrooms in the supermarket or from the vegetable specialist. If you do not have all that effort to go and find mushrooms yourself or if you do not know much about wild mushrooms, you can of course also buy mushrooms in the store. The price is often not too bad.
   • Nowadays you can at least buy normal mushrooms in almost all supermarkets and often other types such as oyster mushrooms and portobello or chestnut mushrooms.
   • At specialist greengrocers and delis you can often also find more expensive and more rare varieties such as sour cherries, chanterelles, truffles and shiitake.
   • In many shops nowadays you see more rare or imported mushroom varieties in dried form. Some types of mushrooms are cheaper when dried than when you buy them fresh, and cooking with them just requires soaking them in water.

Tips

• Never immerse fresh mushrooms in water, because if you do, they will absorb themselves and become unusable.
• Do not eat slimy or spotted mushrooms.
• Fresh mushrooms will keep for 1 to 2 days in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
• Never overcook mushrooms. If you heat mushrooms for too long, they will become tough and rubbery.
• Mushrooms must be able to breathe. Therefore, do not keep them in plastic. In addition, condensation forms in a plastic bag or container, the mushrooms then absorb that moisture and spoil.

Warnings

• Only eat mushrooms found in the wild if you are really sure what kind you are dealing with. Eating any mushroom can be very dangerous as you may have picked a poisonous mushroom!
• Ask someone who knows about mushrooms for advice if you really want to be 100% sure which species a particular mushroom belongs to.
• Always check whether you are allowed to pick mushrooms in your area. If there are laws or regulations that prohibit picking wild mushrooms and you do it anyway, be aware that you could be fined.