Culinaria: the fascination of mushrooms

While autumn on the Continent begins in September, for some reason in Ireland and the UK it begins in August. Maybe it’s our penchant for optimism that we end our summer prematurely. Or maybe it’s because of the wonderful change in food that occurs between July and August. Though I somehow doubt it, I believe that the fruit, nuts and vegetables that spring up in autumn (pardon the pun) are akin to a kind of magical symphony heard only if you put your ear to the ground.

In relation to all the beautiful food stuffs that emerge, in terms of smell, taste and texture I find mushrooms the most fascinating. I’m not talking here of those little sad white buttons that occupy supermarkets like an invasive species. Instead, I am imaging those beautiful varieties that inhabit many of our forests.

As many of you know, not all wild mushrooms are edible. More importantly, not all edible wild mushroom are palatable, so it’s vital before you mix them all into your beautiful barley risotto to make sure to cook and taste them separately. Furthermore, do not wash them! Mushrooms do not like water, so just clean them with a pastry brush.

One of the most pleasurable ways to cook mushrooms (my top three, by the way, are girolles, hedgehog, and morels) is to pan-fry them in duck fat very briefly on a very high heat. As with all our vegetables, we have a tendency in Ireland to treat them as an afterthought, throwing them in the pan to cook and leaving them to stew. This is a great crime against food and we should really give the same attention to vegetables as we do to meat and fish.

When I say the pan must be hot, I mean smoking hot. Let the duck fat melt and then immediately throw in a handful of mushrooms. Toss them all together to make sure the duck fat coats every one of them. Season with some fine sea salt. Remove from the heat and eat straight from the pan. JP McMahon