Where there are Mushrooms there are Fairies...

                                                                                          In the forest...

It must be an Eastern European thing but come every winter, we always go mushroom picking. My love for the fungi family doesn't stem from eating them, in fact I hated mushrooms when I was little. I'm fascinated because they are gorgeous to look at! When you go mushroom picking, they're hiding in obscure places, under logs, pine needles and in ditches. I used to read old fairy tales, my favourite written by Enid Blyton and I admit to this day, I still look for faeries. Folk lore says that where there are mushrooms there are fairies...

                           Saffron milk caps (orange) and field mushrooms (white)

These mushrooms prefer pine forest, not the Australian bush. The locals here don't eat them, no one knows how yum these little things are. My family always pickled them in jars and had them as "zakuski" before a main meal. Russian cooking uses a lot of conserves and pickles because of the harsh climate, food needed to be preserved to last the icy winters.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not crazy about normal mushrooms but THESE mushrooms I am. Firstly, the colour is bright orange and I'm assuming it's the plentiful B vitamins or beta carotene (cannot find enough research to confirm) and secondly, they are TASTY. The goodness of the wild nutrient rich soil, fresh air and deep forest environment is bound to make them have superpowers and not in a magic mushie way ; )

There are sources that say it has very strong antibacterial and anti fungal properties and has been used in the treatment of tuberculosis. These mushies are called Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the Saffron milk caps grow in Europe, North America and I'll add some parts of Australia to the list. There are a few variety's within the Lactarius species, the ones pictured considered a delicacy amongst the Polish and Russian.

        Mushrooms at the base of a tree trunk...

                                 Amanita muscaria Fly agaric- Beautiful but highly poisonous,
                                                                                    bright red for STOP!

We call poisonous mushrooms "pagunki" in Russian, meaning bad ones...

Is it poisonous?
Press the head of the mushroom a few times firmly, if it is poisonous it will turn yellow. Non-poisonous mushrooms stay white. Also the scent of the poisonous mushroom will be stronger and not very nice. You can almost smell the poison, whereas an edible mushroom will have a subtle mushroom fragrance like the ones from your grocer.

How to cook with wild mushrooms...

Before going out and picking your own, you must know exactly what you're looking for and if you don't know what it is? Don't eat it! Now that's out the way I can go on with a recipe...

Traditionally they are pan fried gently. I cooked them in coconut oil and serve them over brown rice, buckwheat or over a broccoli mash. Mushrooms reduce in size once cooked, you may need a bit more if you're feeding more than one person. I have also experimented and marinated the mushrooms and used the dehydrator to "cook" them at the lowest possible temperature, so the nutrients are 100% kept in tact.

Saffron Milk Caps with Buckwheat Kasha

Ingredients...

1 to 2 cups of thinly sliced mushrooms (depends how much you want to eat)

1 onion diced

1 clove of garlic (more if you prefer)

2/3 bay leaves

1/2 hot chili

1/2 lemon

4 to 6 tbs tamari sauce

Himalayan salt and cracked pepper

3/4 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp of curry powder

Buckwheat Kasha

1/2 cup raw buckwheat kernels (1/2 cup serves 1 person)

1 cup of water

Method...

1. Heat a fry pan with the coconut oil until hot and gently saute the onions, garlic, chili and curry powder until tender then add the mushrooms and bay leaf.

2. Add tamari sauce and turn down the heat.

3. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.

4. To get some green power into you garnish heavily with freshly chopped parsley add freshly squeezed lemon and serve over your choice of grains... in Russia buckwheat "kasha" is a popular choice.

Kasha...

1. Bring water to the boil and add rinsed buckwheat kernels.

2. Turn down the heat and simmer gently until most of the water has reduced, stir occasionally.

3. Take off the heat and allow to sit for a few minutes longer, the kernels will continue to absorb the water.

4. Rinse and serve plain or with some added salt, pepper, olive oil to taste.

                                                           Saffron milk caps with buckwheat kasha...

This recipe is so simple. I imagine it was something the peasants, or the poorer class people would have eaten back when times were a lot harder in Russian history. They worked hard and created dishes that were seasonal, sustainable and as nourishing as possible. These mushrooms have so much natural flavour, very little needs to be done hence the simplicity of the recipe. The slight spice and complimentary fresh lemon is just perfect on a bed of kasha. This recipe is to inspire you to use other types of mushrooms in your cooking, I'm sure any wild variety will be just as tasty.

Wild Mushroom and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients...

3 cups of roughly chopped wild mushrooms

1/2 butternut pumpkin cubed

1 onion chopped

2/4 tbs coconut oil (optional)

1 young Thai coconut (Drain the water and scoop out the pulp and blend until smooth or 1/2 cup canned coconut cream for the super busy)

Freshly grated ginger (powder would be fine too)

1 tsp of curry powder

1 tbs turmeric infused raw honey

Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Method...

1. Turn on the heat and add the pumpkin, onion, mushrooms and curry powder to a saucepan then fill half way with water (you can fry off this part with coconut oil, if you prefer).

2. Simmer gently until pumpkin is soft and add more water, heat a little more then blend with a hand held blender until smooth.

3. Take off the heat and stir in freshly grated ginger, 1 tbs of turmeric infused raw honey (or plain raw honey), a small amount of coconut cream (because the cream is unheated, it will cool down your soup and dilute it's flavours), salt and cracked pepper and serve in a bowl.

4. Make sure to drizzle plenty of olive oil on the surface of the soup and garnish with something herby and green!

                                 Wild mushroom and pumpkin soup in my favourite Tinkerbell mug!

Pumpkin soup is a hit with everyone, to me it's the winter wonder food. I was inspired (with a good client/ friend- she knows who she is!) by the colour orange. To me orange is a fortifying colour, something that gives you strength and with the warmer months a while away we need the extra warmth and vigour orange sun energy can bring. When cooking this recipe, only use gentle heat. In fact any recipe that calls for heat, use it gently ALWAYS. We want to add warmth to the food, not break it down so there's nothing left! The curry spices, subtle fresh ginger zing and creamy coconut goodness makes a beautiful dinner or lunch on a cold, rainy day. Remember to have your raw goodness too, for digestibility and optimal nutrition enjoy a salad for your second course...

Marinated Saffron Milk Cups

It turns out, these mushrooms are fine, in fact tasty to eat raw! They can be thinly sliced, salted and added to salads or marinated. I used a combination of raw honey, tamari sauce, dill, olive oil, fresh herbs and pink Himalayan salt to marinated theses. I placed them into the food dehydrator for an hour or two, just to soften and I swear this is the BEST way to eat them. I now prefer these mushrooms marinated over cooked. They were fresher, tastier and more nutritious.

                                             Marinated saffron milk cups on a bed of salad... yum!

I finish off my mushroom adventure with a little fairy magic... have a beautiful day everyone!