Sidonie Maroon

In mid-November, I promised to write my friend Alan a recipe for his birthday. 

“What’s a favorite ingredient?” I asked.

“I’ve never met a mushroom I didn’t like,” he replied with a wink. 

I meant to get it back to him immediately but kept mulling over the possibilities. I knew Alan was a fan of wild mushrooms, and when I started pondering, we were still in chanterelle season. Perhaps he’d like the chanterelle lasagna I’d once made for a Marine Science Center auction?

Maybe I could update my mixed wild mushroom caviar? I’d last made it for a zakuski (Russian hors d’oeuvre)-themed party at Copper Canyon Press. That is where I learned the technique of roasting mushrooms in the oven, without oil, and draining off the juices. This allows them to get dry and meaty. I remember tray after tray of mushrooms going in and out of ovens. The kitchen was an umami heaven.  

Maybe a mushroom aspic, but would Alan go for a jiggle in his mushroom jello? I thought not. There was that porcini pie I’d made one year when we had friends over on Fridays for pie day. 

I love the Indian black-eyed pea and button mushroom dish created for a “Port Townsend School of Woodworking” graduation party. I made it with black-eyed peas, toasted cumin, garlic, ginger and sautéed mushrooms. 

Porcini and tomato soups are delicious. The earthy, deep porcini contrasting beautifully with the bright tomato flavors. One year I served it for an Italian-themed community Christmas dinner.

You can’t get better than shitake pho (a Vietnamese noodle soup). We made three kinds of pho at one of my cooking classes through the Food Co-op. 

I kept daydreaming about Allen’s birthday recipe until finally the right idea emerged — a roasted cremini chowder in delicata broth. Luckily, I had a pound of mushrooms to experiment with. 

I made the chowder by roasting mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, potato, celery and dried thyme. For the broth, I simmered the vegetable peelings with a delicata squash in a quart of chicken broth with two bay leaves. My bay leaves were from a tree Allen gave me two summers ago. Our kitchen was thick with the smells of roasting mushrooms, veggies and broth. The chowder didn’t need cream through a sleight of hand and a muttered incantation. No, I can’t reveal my secrets, although the addition of apple cider vinegar at the finish is a sure way to bring all the hidden flavors forward. This is an acidic trick I hope you’ll try. 

I’m glad I took the time to let my mushroom ideas stew. It brought back all the good times I’ve had cooking in Jefferson County. Who would have known that mushrooms were a theme? It makes sense, because mushrooms pop up here and there, but our genuine community is below ground, strong and sure in our alliances and friendships. It’s the mycelium that really matters, and we’ve plenty to pull us through.

Roasted Cremini Chowder
in Delicata Broth  

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHOWDER 

¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces  

1 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

4 medium carrots, cut into thin sticks and then a medium dice 

2 stalks celery, cut into thin sticks and then a medium dice 

6 cloves garlic, minced wit inner growing stem removed 

2 teaspoons dried thyme

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a medium dice

FOR BROTH 

Scraps and peelings from the vegetables, but not the papery parts of the onions. 

2 bay leaves

1 whole delicata squash, roughly cut up, include the skin and seeds

1 quart chicken broth, homemade preferred

1 teaspoon sea salt 

TO FINISH 

½ cup cold water

2 tablespoons potato starch, cornstarch will work

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar  

DIRECTIONS 

Roast the mushrooms 425 F , on a parchment lined baking sheet, for 20 minutes, stirring at 15 minutes. Pour off the mushroom liquids and reserve. Roast for another 8 minutes or until meaty and rich tasting. 

On another parchment lined baking sheet, roast the other vegetables with the butter, thyme, salt and red pepper flakes sprinkled over them. They should all be about the same size to roast evenly. Roast them for 20 minutes, stir and continue to roast for another 15 to 20 minutes.  

While the vegetables are roasting, simmer the broth together in a soup pot for 30 minutes. I used my Instant Pot on the broth cycle. Strain the broth. 

In a small liquid measure, make a slurry by adding ½ cup water to 2 tablespoons potato starch. Slowly add to the strained broth. Blend the broth and slurry together in a blender at high speed. 

Add roasted veggies (not mushrooms) and blended broth together in the soup pot. Remove two cups of veggies and broth, blend them together and return the puree to the pot. Add the mushrooms, reserved juices and vinegar. Stir and taste.  

(Sidonie Maroon, abluedotkitchen.com, is culinary educator for The Food Co-op. Kitchen to Kitchen is sponsored by The Food Co-op. Find more of Sidonie’s recipes at www.foodcoop.coop/blog/mushroom-soups.)