Category: mushrooms

Treat Your Valentine to Fresh Pasta With a Rich, Velvety Mushroom Sauce

Valentine’s Day can sometimes be a challenge for the cook. Do I do a three-course dinner with a rich chocolate dessert or a one-dish favorite that respects the season and feels celebratory? This year, I will be reintroducing a former tradition: fresh pasta in a rich, velvety, mushroom sauce. I love that it’s full of…


Stuffed Mushrooms With a Mediterranean Accent

A mixture of tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives, and fresh oregano gives portobellos a Mediterranean vibe in this healthy stuffed mushroom recipe. Serve these along with chicken, fish, or tofu as a super-satisfying side dish, or add a hearty salad and make them the centerpiece of a vegetarian dinner. Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Active Time: 15…


Busting Mushroom Myths With Chris Czarnecki

“Never wash mushrooms. They’ll be a soggy, gelatinous mush.” So goes conventional wisdom about handling fungi in the kitchen. “Ridiculous,” Chris Czarnecki scoffed. “Of course you should wash mushrooms. “I have a picture of my grandfather in a bathtub of cold water filled with mushrooms. He washed mushrooms every day.” Lest you wonder why Czarnecki’s…


Busting Mushroom Myths With Chef Chris Czarnecki

“Never wash mushrooms. They’ll be a soggy, gelatinous mush.” So goes conventional wisdom about handling fungi in the kitchen. “Ridiculous,” Chris Czarnecki scoffed. “Of course you should wash mushrooms. “I have a picture of my grandfather in a bathtub of cold water filled with mushrooms. He washed mushrooms every day.” Lest you wonder why Czarnecki’s…


Shiitake Mushrooms Proven to Benefit Dozens of Diseases

If you’re looking for a superfood to support your immune system health and act as an overall health tonic, shiitake mushrooms are a top choice. As a bonus, they impart a savory umami flavor to virtually any meal they touch. Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) have been prized for their anticancer and immunomodulating properties since ancient times…


UCSD and UCLA Host Clinical Study of Herbs, Mushrooms In Treating COVID-19

SAN DIEGO—University of California researchers announced on Nov. 12 that they, together with colleagues from other institutions, are assessing whether medicinal mushrooms and Chinese herbs can provide therapeutic benefit in treating acute COVID-19 infection. This research study, “Mushrooms and Chinese Herbs for COVID-19” (MACH-19), is a multi-center effort led by the University of California–San Diego (UCSD) and…


Why You Should Add Oyster Mushrooms to Your Meals

Oyster mushrooms stand out among fungi species for their fan-shaped, oyster-like caps. Not only do oyster mushrooms resemble oysters, but their mild flavor is seafood-like and somewhat nutty. In the wild, you can find oyster mushrooms growing on decaying wood such as beech and aspen trees. While they grow year-round, they’re most likely to fruit…


The Birch Tree Fungus That Boosts Your Immune System

06A bitter mushroom that acts as a parasite on birch trees is revered for its medicinal properties, including immunity boosting, antiviral, and anti-diabetes effects. Chaga mushrooms aren’t the most attractive fungi on the block, and they’re not the tastiest either, but when it comes to medicinal value, chaga mushrooms are king. Typically consumed in tea…


Tuscan Potato, Porcini, and Chestnut Soup

This soup from southern Tuscany is quintessentially autumn, starring two of the season’s most representative ingredients: chestnuts and mushrooms. I picked it from the very traditional menu of a trattoria in Monte Amiata, an ancient and now dormant volcano that dominates the surrounding landscapes: the Val d’Orcia, Bolsena lake, the Chianti hills, and the Maremma…


Wild About Mushrooms: Foraging and Cooking With Fall’s Hidden Treasures

As summer’s sunny days yield to the darkened cold of autumn, forests pop with wild mushrooms. Autumn rains dampen the dense substrate of soil, spent fir needles, and fallen trees that provide the perfect environment for some of the most delicious treasures you can find. Mushrooms may look like singular bodies popping up from the…