Hunt the Mushroom

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 770, 23 April 1954, Page 22

Hunt the Mushroom

HIS is quite a rewarding game, for mushrooms fetch a good price in the shops, as well as being a fine addition to meals, with steak or bacon or liver or even fish. They can even form a meal, without meat, in pancakes, for example, or with scrambled eggs. Mushrooms are quite high in calories, too, L have read, and compare favourably with. carrots in that regard; and they also contain more protein than carrots. However, they are beaten by carrots in carbohydrates; and they contain only a little yitamin D, whereas carrots have vitamin A and C. Stretch the Meat A much smaller portion of grilled steck than usual can be made sufficient if served with a generous helping of mushrooms, especially if they are creamed, which makes them quite substantial. For this, first simmer them gently in a little butter in a saucepan, then take them out and keep hot while you add a little flour to the butter, stirting till smooth, and then add, slowly. sufficient top milk to make a creamy sauce, seasoned with pepper and salt. Put .the mushrooms back into it, and serye hot. In the Pie Add a few mushrooms to the steak and kidney which you are gently simmering, to make very tender, before putting it into a piedish, and cooling, reacy for the piecrust to be put on. Remember to thicken the gravy, and to use a funnel or tiny cup, to keep the crust up. Prick the pastry before puting in the oyen; same twisted strips of pastry criss-crossed over the top look nice and are always crisp. Preserved Mushrooms Drying: Any broken mushrooms, as well as perfect ones, can be used up in this way. When using, soak them for a few minutes in warm water, then either cook as fresh ones or add to soups and stews. Just spread them out on trays and dry in the oven on the lowest heat, with the door a’ar to allow for circuleion of air. Stir them ground occasionally. When shrivelled and dry, store them in paper bags and hang up in a dry place. Bottling: If possible, preserve on the day picked, and in any case, not later

than the following | day. Peel, and place in layers in preserving pan. Sprinkle each layer lightly with salt. When

juice flows, put over gentle heat, stirring occasionally with wooden s con. Try not to break them up much. en sufficient juice is there, increase heat, and simmer till cooked. Turn into besim and when ‘cool pack firmly into jars, fill with their own juice to within % inch of the top. Seal. Put in water bath and sterilise at boiling point for 2 hours. Take out. and store: If there is more jttice than is needed for iars. add mace, peprarresrs: salt and ginger to taste, oil % hour and ma‘e ketc hup. Another, and very safe, method is to pack the mushrooms into the bottles, fill up with salt brine (1% oz. salt to each pint of hot water), place on the rubber ring, the cover and the spring clip. Now put the bottles into the steriliser, add cold water to reach % up the side of the bottles, fit on the cover, bring up to 200 degrees and maintain for one hour. Remove bottles and allow to get cold. After 24 hours sterilise agein for one hour at 200 degrees. ue not remove the spring-clip until the kettles are quite cold after the second sterilising. The thermometer belongs to the Haritiaing outfit. Mushroom Omelette Chop enough peeled mushrooms, caps and stems, to meke 112 cups. a lightly 5 minutes or until tender in 2 tablespoons butter. osant with salt and pepper, and a few grains nutmeg. Add to an ordinary omelette. when cooked, and fold it over. Mushroom Soup You need same broth. Chicken is best, so save the broth from boiling a fowl, but veal broth ar even broth will do. Half a pound of mushrogms makes quite a lot of soup. Don't peel, just chop finely. Simmer 5 minutes in a tablespoon of butter with q tablespoon of minced onion and twice as much minced celery. Add 2 cups broth and simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile make a white sauce by melting 2 tablespoons butter, stirring in 2 tablespoons flour till smooth, and then adding eredually 2 cups cold milk. pepper and salt to (continued on next page) ee

taste, and cooking steadily till smooth and thickened. Then add mushroom mixture and heat together. Serve at once. Straining is optional. Mushrooms with Fish Cook mushrooms in butter till just tender. Have ready fillets of fish rubbed with lemon juice. Chop: the mushrooms and spread on the fillets, then roil up each one and place in well-buttered casserole. Dot with a little butter, cover, and bake about 29 to 30 minutes. Left-over fish: Have ready some cooked fish, flaked finely, say, 2 cups. Fry sliced mushrooms in butter (about a cupful). Add flour or cornflour and stir till smooth, pepper and salt, and then sufficient milk to make a smooth sauce. Then add the flaked fish and a little chopped parsley. Heat through and serve. Mushroom Ketchup Gather mushrooms freshly in the morning. Put in earthenware basin, sprinkle with salt. Leave overnight, or longer. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Strain through muslin. Rut liquid on again, boil another 30 to 35 minutes, having added seasonings of black peppercorns, a little cayenne pepper, cloves and a little mace. Strain all and bottle when cold. Should keep about 2 years.