Produce Briefs...
Spring Onions
Spring onions are most often utilized raw. The whole onion can be flash blanched and grilled, which brings out more the robust and sweet elements of the onions, and makes them a bolder pair for fish and meats
Iceberg Lettuce
It is the only lettuce type that does not occur in red form as well as green. Iceberg is the given name to dozens of cultivars of lettuce, all of which are adapted to specific planting regions and time periods.
Seasons/Availability
Dried mushrooms are usually available year round.
Current Facts
Matsutake means pine mushroom and it is the odor of this mushroom that truly identifies it. As it thrives in pine forests, it resembles the aromas of the woods.
Description/Taste
Dried matsutake mushrooms have definitive spicy and clean aromatics and a pine-like fragrance when cooked. They have a large umbrella-shaped cap and thick-skinned stem. Their coloring ranges from creamy white to rusted brown throughout the flesh.
Nutritional Value
Matsutake mushrooms contain 3% protein and all the essential amino acids, making their protein complete.
Applications
Matsutake is a versatile all-purpose mushroom. It can be used in virtually any recipe calling for mushrooms. It reconstitutes well, resembling its original size and texture after minimal soaking in liquid. Dried mushrooms can also be ground into powder form to use as a seasoning and blended with sea salt to make a flavored salt.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
One of the rituals of the matsutake season is to prepare a sukiyaki, the Japanese version of a hot pot, in the woods during a hunt. The broth is a combination of dashi (fish stock), sake, mirin (sweet cooking sake) and a touch of sugar.
Geography/History
Matsutakes prefer the company of fir and hemlock trees in the North west, pine trees a little further south, and tanoak and madrone trees in California. They also grow prolifically in the Shangri-la region of China. Matsutake harvesting has become that areas most valuable crop to the local economy.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Dried Matsutake Mushroom. One
is easiest, three is harder.
