DON’T FORGET MUSHROOMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 January 1940, Page 8

DON’T FORGET MUSHROOMS

SOME RELIABLE RECIPES.

When mushrooms are plentiful and cheap take advantage of them, for they are very nutritious and most appetising. It is important that only fresh, sound mushrooms should be used. And remember —the usual tests by peeling, putting a silver spoon in (he pan, and so on, are valueless so far as at least one poisonous fungus is concerned. Mushroom gatherers should exercise great care in their gathering. One of the safest rules is never to gather a fungus which does not grow in open pasture. Mushrooms, as a rule, do not grow in woods, near trees, or in wet or boggy places. The mushroom may be easily detected by its pinkish gill's —if the gills are pure white, you may be sure it isn’t a mushroom—and mushrooms are usually small, the maximum diameter of their caps being five inches. Toadstools may grow to alarming sizes and usually have hollow stems. Some Recipes. Slewed, ■mushrooms are very good, either for lunch or supper. Melt some butter in a slewpan, put in mushrooms, season well with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes with lid on. tossing the mushrooms now and then. Make a white sauce thus: To a pint of milk allow two ounces of flour, one ounce of butter. Beat the flour and butter to a paste in a pan over a low gas. Add gradually one pint of milk, pepper and salt. Stir over gas for a few minutes. Add sauce to the mushrooms, see they are well flavoured, and serve very hot.

Fried in the usual way in bacon fat or grilled with bacon for breakfast, they make a very good change. If you grill them, soak first for about 20 minutes in oil, drain, and do not forget the seasoning. Try mushrooms on toast. Melt some butter in a pan, add mushrooms, cut up in small pieces, cook for about fifteen to twenty minutes, season to taste, add lemon juice, make toast, and serve.

Mushroom forcemeat for stuffing veal or balls for soup are excellent, and some of this may be put in the boiled fowl for stuffing. To make this, put butter in saucepan and cook mushrooms in it for about ten minutes. Season and drain off fat. Have some breadcrumbs ready (two ounces of crumbs to two ounces of mushrooms. mix together, add some of the lai in which they were cooked, bind with yolk of egg. season again (a pinch of cayenne is good, make into balls, and use as desired. Lastly, why not mushroom sauce? With fish it is a change. Simmer cutup mushrooms for a few minutes in milk and then drain them. Make white sauce as above, using liquid from the simmered mushrooms instead of plain milk. Season well, add mushrooms, and serve.