The German Corner - There's a Fungus Amungus (among us) he he heee

Shannon thanks for starting the new thread! :)

Yumaaz thanks for the recipes! come by anytime! :)

I absolutly love to go mushrooming! Every spring me and my dad would go hunt mushrooms in the woods and then sometimes my friends and I would go! We had a lot of fun.......even when the boys would chase us with  garden snakes!

When I have fresh mushrooms I clean them and then soak in salt water, flour, and then pan fry in a little oil or butter. Yummmm!

Renate if you happen to be able to come by, I want to thank you for the lovely post card you sent! :) It made my day! We miss you too! And will be anxious to hear about your travels! (and new recipes)

Hope everyone is having a good day!

(stay safe from the storms tonight)!

TTYL Jet

givin' it a bump!

Shanon, thanks for starting a new thread. I like mushrooms any way you can make them. Back in germany I went many times to the forest to look for chandarells. This are my altime favoreds. They are very pricy here in the states and last year I found them for a reasonable price at Costco. They came from Canada and no offence to any Candian, they tasted horriable.

Erna

	Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Mary Catherine Muir

Smoked-Gouda Risotto with Spinach and Mushrooms


Winning recipe--Chef Charles Dale, Renaissance Restaurant, Aspen, Colorado. Charles' tips: Any combination of mushrooms will work. Use cold chicken stock (even though simmering stock is typically used in risotto) to prevent splattering. Make sure there's some liquid left in the risotto; in fact, it should be pourable because the rice will absorb it as it sits. Always salt mushrooms after they are sautéed, or the salt will pull out their natural water and they'll poach.


Risotto:
2 cups water
2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 cups Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
5 cups chopped spinach (about 5 ounces)

Mushrooms:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3 1/2 ounces)
2 cups sliced button mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups sliced oyster mushrooms (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

To prepare risotto, combine water and broth; set aside. Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots; cover and cook 2 minutes. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup wine; cook 30 seconds or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in Gouda; cook just until melted. Stir in spinach; cook just until spinach is wilted.

Hello Erna, I love mushrooms to but I have to admit that I don't have much experience beyond white button and portabellas. I'm a little hesitant to try dehydrated mushrooms because of the resulting texture. Have you, or anyone else, used dehydrated mushrooms before with success? I would be interested in hearing about that.

I will say that I do not care for canned mushrooms AT ALL! They are like rubber and have no taste other than the taste of the can. ick! Whenever I see a recipe for canned mushrooms, I replace them with fresh! And the smell of FRESH mushrooms sauteing with onions and peppers is one comfort I hope to never live without! I love that smell!!!

Talk to you all later. It's time for me to hit the sack!

Shannon

Hello all!  Thanks for starting a new thread again!  I love mushrooms too but I am like you and haven't really had any of the different kinds.  I did try some dried mushrooms and they were not so great.  Maybe they were too old?  I saw some different kinds of dried ones at the grocery store but didn't have the nerve to try them.

Erna I think they are probably like most things that are better when they are first picked.  I know that I will usually stay away from fruit (especially peaches) from California.  I think because they pick them too green and by the time we get them they are just woody inside.

It rained just about all day here so that melted a lot of snow!  I am so ready for spring!  For now though I need to go to bed.  YAY it's Friday tomorrow!

I'll see if this link works.......this is what I call mushroom heaven! :)

http://www.wiebketrading.com/morel_mushrooms.html

Jet

Yay! It worked for me! Hope you can check it out......I love these kind of mushrooms and lot of other kinds too.....of course I don't think I would pay 28.00 lb. for them.......there are people that will sell them around here, but they arn't that expensive........

Dh doesn't like to mushroom hunt so I havn't been for a couple of years (he wasn't one that chased me with a snake)!

Last year my dad brought me a mess of them and they were sooooo good!

Well I had better get ready for tomorrow.......I will be babysitting and then going to work....

I am feeling better, if only I could quit my coughing....... :(

TTYL Jet

I forgot to say that Shannnon someone was asking you a question  on the seafood post.....I didn't know if you seen it or not....

hello ladies

yummy recipes everybody!!!

Berny & Shannon regarding the dried mushrooms - we basically use them only in creamy kind of soups, gravy or asian dried musheooms in asian dishes (if they call for dried) you just soak them in water and use as directed. The mushrooms give the sauces and doups a special flavor but i agree i am not a big fan either i love my fresh ones any way you can make them  - i have never used the canned ones - they are popular in germany for some salads, sauces or at many pizza places but i do not like it when they use it.

We can get many kinds of mushrooms in the season - i have never had a portobello in germany - i like them very much but i can only get them in very special stores. I still have my problems wiht asian mushrooms  - even though they are supposed to be so healthy especially the shiitake ones.

today is raining and cold - so berny we share the same weather. I am so glad it is finally friday and i am looking forward to a realxing weekend any maybe some company from my cousin on sunday.

hope you have a lovely day - see you later - waving to everybody -twinkle

Good morning everyone!

Wanted to give this a bump up while I wait on my lil one to get here!

TTYL Jet

Hello everyone! Jet thanks for telling me about the seafood question. I got it. I was glad to get that hushpuppie recipe...it sounds delicious! And your cough, unless you take something for it, will hang on forever. Scott is still coughing and it's been two weeks. Mom is still coughing too. Oh BTW, my mom got her dr. report back and it wasn't that great. Wasn't all bad either. They said there is some Rhenal Failure (which is what her mom died from, so it's a bit of a worry) BUT there is no cancer that they can tell. They gave her a shot of something to boost her red blood cells and gave her some stong antibiotics. She also has a touch of pneumonia. Poor girl. I'm going to go spend some time with her this weekend.

Twinkle, I had been wondering, and would have asked if you hadn't mentioned it, about mushrooms in Germany. I didn't know if there were certain types indicative to Germany or if you had really unique recipes for mushrooms. I wish you were able to get portabellas. I love the baby portabellas to cook with as well. Nice meaty little things. I used to have a recipe for grilled portabellas that were marinated and then grilled. They tasted like steak! Oh it was good! I'm going to have to look for it.

Without complaining about the MIL again, I'm just going to say that I have the best fiance in the world. He completely assured me last night that he doesn't care what his mother tells him about me. He doesn't pay attention to it. He loves me and is marrying me. He said that, even though I feel like she drives a wedge between us with her story telling and lies and such, he doesn't feel that way. He doesn't get upset with me because of what she tells him and he doesn't believe everything she says. So...what an awesome guy he is. I am blessed to have him and very thankful that he is so understanding.

OK, well I'll talk to you later. Checking more threads and then I'll be back! Love you all!

Shannon

Good morning to Jet and Shannon and anyone else that is up and about.

Waving hello to everyone else!

Thank you Shannon for starting a new thread, unfortunately I do not eat mushrooms ~ can't stand the texture.  I love the name of the thread, very cute.

Shannon, I have been thinking about your wedding and I have to say that a month AFTER the wedding when all the excitement is over, if you can say "I am glad I did it like this", then the money you spend will not matter. 

I know that this is going to sound weird, but having a wedding is like going to a casino.  You budget for it and you give someone your money with no expectation of a return.  You can come home and say "I can't believe I wasted all that money", or you can come home and say "I had such a good time, it was worth it."

Hope everyone is getting healthy.  MY mil still has her cough after a month.