Ina Garten Chanterelles Food

PAPPARDELLE WITH MIXED WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Brush off any dirt from the mushrooms with a pastry brush or a dish towel. Slice the mushrooms thinly, but tear girolles, chanterelles and blewits in half. Put the olive oil in a very hot frying pan and add the mushrooms. Let them fry fast, tossing once or twice, then add the garlic and chilli with a pinch of salt (it is very important to season mushrooms lightly, as a little really brings out the flavor). Continue to fry fast for 4-5 minutes, tossing regularly. Then turn the heat off and squeeze in the lemon juice. Toss and season to taste.
• Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Add to the mushrooms, with the Parmesan, parsley and butter. Toss gently, coating the pasta with the mushrooms and their flavor. Serve, scraping out all of the last bits of mushroom from the pan, and sprinkle with a little extra parsley and Parmesan.

CREAMY BRAISED CHANTERELLES AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms: Fill the sink or a large bowl with cold water. Lay out some clean kitchen towels. Working with a few at a time, dunk the mushrooms in the water and gently swish to remove any dirt or debris. Shake off excess water and transfer to the towels to dry until excess water has been absorbed. Use your hands to tear any very large mushrooms into halves or quarters.
• In a medium-size heavy pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will first give off a lot of liquid and then it will begin to evaporate. Raise the heat as needed to keep the liquid at a fast boil.
• In a bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream and salt. When the liquid in the pot has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the potatoes and return to a simmer. Partly cover the pot, and let simmer gently for 1 hour. Check and adjust the heat occasionally to make sure the mixture is simmering, not boiling.
• After 1 hour, test the potatoes. If they are still firm, keep simmering until they are just cooked through.
• When the potatoes are just cooked through, uncover the pot and raise the heat to a lively simmer. Cook until the braising liquid reduces and begins to caramelize, 10 to 20 minutes. It will turn golden brown and thick, like a cream sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Toward the end, stir often to prevent the liquid at the bottom of the pot from scorching.
• Serve hot, mopping up the sauce with crusty bread, if desired.

SAUTéED CHANTERELLES

Steps:

• Cut the base of the stems of the chanterelles. If the mushrooms are very gritty, rinse them quickly under cold running water and pat them dry. Otherwise, clean them carefully with a soft paint or pastry brush. Cut the large mushrooms into bite-size pieces; leave the smaller ones whole.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the chanterelles and saute for two to three minutes or until they start to become soft. Add the wine and when it has evaporated, add the chicken stock. Cook over high heat until it has almost evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley, thyme or chives.

SAUTEED WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Brush the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in a large dice.
• Heat the olive oil in a large (11 - inch) Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the butter, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.

CREAM OF WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
• To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

GNOCCHI WITH PROSCIUTTO, SPRING PEAS, AND CHANTERELLES

Steps:

• Bring 2 pots, 1 large and 1 medium, with well-salted water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Blanch the fresh peas in the medium pot of boiling water until they are cooked but still crunchy and then immediately plunge them into the salted ice water. Remove them from the ice water and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium high heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic, remove it and discard. Add the prosciutto and saute until it starts to get crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, and TASTE to see if they are delicious (they should be!).
• Add the peas and chicken stock. Season with salt, TASTE IT (it should be more delicious). Simmer until the stock has reduced by about half.
• While the stock is reducing, add the gnocchi to the large pot of salted boiling water. Cook the gnocchi until they float and get very puffy. The gnocchi should be really puffy.
• While the gnocchi is in the boiling water, add the butter to the pan with the mushroom mixture. Cook over low heat and swirl to incorporate. TASTE and adjust seasoning if needed.
• When the gnocchi are cooked, carefully remove them from the cooking water and add them to the pan with the mushrooms. Toss or stir to combine. Cook the gnocchi with mushroom mixture until it clings to the gnocchi. Add the grated Parmigiano and the chopped chives. Transfer to serving bowls and serve immediately.
• Call yourself a superstar!
• Preheat the oven to 375 or 400 degrees F.
• Bake the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check them!
• While the potatoes are still hot peel and pass them through a food mill or ricer. (I find that the food mill works just as well as a ricer and is much easier to handle) onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. When doing this pay careful attention to keep the potatoes as light and fluffy as possible. This will aid in keeping the gnocchi light. Refrigerate the potatoes on the sheet tray until cold. This is also a very important step. If the potatoes are warm while adding flour they will require more flour which will result in a much heavier finished product.
• When the potatoes are absolutely cold, transfer to a clean work surface. Beat together the eggs and cheese and pour onto the potatoes. Season with salt. Cover generously with flour. It should look like snow on the mountains.
• Crumble the potato flour mixture between your fingers. Begin to knead the dough until it is a dry homogeneous mixture. The dough should feel slightly moist, but not tacky. If too tacky, repeat the snow on the mountains stage.
• Form the dough into a large log. Cut slices off the log and begin to roll into long ropes that are about 1-inch in thickness. Cut the ropes into 1/2-inch lengths. Cover generously with flour. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a sheet tray dusted with flour. DO NOT PILE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER!!
• Use or freeze the gnocchi immediately. If freezing, place tray directly into the freezer. Once frozen, the gnocchi can be stored in plastic bags, in the freezer, indefinitely. When cooking gnocchi they can go directly from the freezer into salted boiling water.
• Note: It is a general practice to take gnocchi out of the water when they float. This is a big mistake. Gnocchi need to be cooked in boiling water until they float and get nice and puffy. Not cooking gnocchi long enough will also result in heavy gnocchi.
• P.S. These are Chef Anne "Secrets" to great gnocchi, use them and you will be successful every time.

CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup flour in a bowl and dredge the chicken in the flour. In a large (12-inch) ovenproof pot such as Le Creuset, heat the oil. Add the chicken in three batches (don't crowd them!) and brown lightly over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and continue until all the chicken is browned.
• Add the whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, and thyme to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sherry and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the wine, chicken stock, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken (large pieces first), cover, and place in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (about 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
• Remove the chicken to a bowl and discard the thyme. With a fork, mash together the butter and 1/4 cup flour and add it to the sauce. Simmer, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season to taste (it should be highly seasoned), put the chicken back in the sauce, and serve hot.

CHANTERELLES ON TOAST

Steps:

• Heat your largest fry pan over medium-high heat, and when it is hot, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the chanterelles. Cook for 4 minutes without moving them around too much.
• Add the sherry vinegar and the lemon juice and cook down until fully reduced. Add the stock and reduce by half (you are not exactly reducing so much as hydrating the mushrooms). Add the rosemary, thyme, parsley and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Evenly spoon the chanterelles over the 4 pieces of toasted bread and garnish with shaved Parmesan.