The fairy ring mushroom has a full flavor which makes them wonderful in a wide range of dishes such as soups, stews, sauces, even cookies. A basic way to cook the fairy ring mushroom (and an excellent way to try them for the first time) is to sauté them in butter for about 5 minutes, add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Below are several recipes which can be used for fairy mushrooms and your other favorites alike.
Fairy Ring Mushroom Pasta Sauce
1 cup dried Fairy Ring Mushroom or equivalent quantity fresh mushrooms
1-1/2 cup peeled and diced tomatoes (use 1 can peeled and diced tomatoes unless you have vine-ripened fresh tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon Herbs d’Provence
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust for your taste and the hotness of your sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. good quality pasta (farfalle, fusilli, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft. Drain reserving liquid. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan. Add mushrooms and Herbs d’Provence. Cook slowly for 15 minutes. Add reserved soaking liquid and reduce over high heat until about 3/4 of the liquid is gone. Add tomatoes and parsley and cook for 3-4 minutes. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done but still firm to the bite. The mushroom sauce over the pasta serves 4 as a starter course or side course, 2 as a main course.
Fettuccini With Wild Mushroom Sauce
At the restaurant Becco in New York, where this dish is served, fresh porcini mushrooms are used when they are in season.
2 cups hot water
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini and shiitake with tough stems trimmed), sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 pound fettucine
Combine water and porcini in medium bowl. Let stand until porcini soften, about 40 minutes. Drain; reserve soaking liquid. Chop porcini coarsely.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and garlic and sauté until brown, about 6 minutes. Add porcini and sauté until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add butter and thyme; stir 1 minute. Add broth and 1 1/4 cup reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Mix in 4 tablespoons cheese. (Can be prepared 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Bring sauce to simmer over medium-high heat.
Drain pasta. Add to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Top with 4 tablespoons cheese.
Marinated Barbecued Mushrooms
Several large mushroom caps; Portobello work well, but any large caps will do fine. Shiitake or Stropharia caps would work well for this recipe.
port wine
oregano, thyme, sage, garlic powder
parmesian cheese
dash of rice wine vinegar
Clean mushroom caps, and remove stems. Place enough wine into cap so that the gills are at least visibly moist. Add herbs as desired, and cheese. A dash of rice wine vinegar may also be added. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cooking, to let the wine marinate the mushrooms. Place on barbecue grill, grill for 3 to 5 minutes.
Fairy Ring Mushroom Cookies
Your favorite sugar cookie recipe, without the flavoring
1 cup dried fairy-ring mushroom caps, minced
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Mix the cookies according to the recipe. Add the mushrooms and almond extract. Bake according to the recipe directions.