These mushrooms come out twice a year in our forest and are absolutely delicious. Freshly picked, fried in garlic and butter they are almost like having a steak. This recipe also uses kale and tomatoes from the garden and is a warm hearty fall meal that goes well with a nice green salad.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups freshly picked oyster mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium onion
• chopped spring onions to garnish
• 1/4 cup butter
• olive oil
• freshly chopped herbs – basil, oregano, thyme, sage or rosemary
• 1 cup freshly chopped tomatoes – or a can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cups risotto serves 4 people
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup white wine and/or balsamic vinegar
• fresh cracked pepper
• 1 cup fresh chopped kale

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Cooking method

• heat butter in a large frying pan or saucepan over medium heat
• add finely chopped garlic and onions, brown for 2min
• add oyster mushrooms and saute for 3-5 min until starting to brown
• Now add some olive oil as needed, keep stirring don’t let things stick
• add risotto and let it soak up the mushroom juice
• now add salt, pepper and herbs, kale and tomatoes
• add white wine and/or vinegar and pepper saute 3min
• add broth, cover, lower heat and simmer for 10min

This dish is so good that I had to take this time to write down how we made it since each time its a little different. This is a combination of a squash risotto recipe and mushroom rice dish. The vinegar and/or wine adds a little tangy bite to offset the softness of the mushrooms.

Be careful not to over cook it and keep stirring every couple minutes so it doesn’t stick or burn to the bottom.

Picking Oyster Mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms like to grow on dead alder trees or logs. They will usually grow out from the trunk with wide white caps and stems that go into the moss or bark. When picking mushrooms its always important to be absolutely sure you have the right ones so bring a friend who knows the area and is certain they know what they are doing.