After a huge long lie in this morning , plenty of walking in the woods this afternoon. The fungi are beginning to appear on mass lots of hedgehog fungus
Amazingly I also found the Beefsteak fungus above , this is usually coming to the end of its season in October but this specimen was still fresh not dried at all . Though had managed to forget my mushroom knife luckily this could be easily cut with my work id card . You need to leave the stalk in place it will come back next season .
Beefsteak fungus needs good cooking and its taste is hard to describe , slightly acidic but very rich. Though previously people have written that it tastes just like beef I am not sure what beef they had been eating , I was vegeterian for 10 years at one point and this would not have fooled me . It does look like flesh when you cut it and I have found examples before that look just like oozing meat.
Some recipes advise soaking the mushroom in water first I used a marinade which is then used in the cooking process ( no waste eh ?) . The squishiness of the mushrooms ( a technical term ) is complimented by the nutty lentils and wholly vegan.
Beefsteak Mushroom and Lentils
100g of beefsteak mushroom
200g of green lentils
200ml of red wine ( 1 large glass )
1 pint of water
1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Small bunch of thyme
Salt and peper
- Thickly slice the beefsteak mushroom
- Cover with the red wine , add the garlic and several sprigs of thyme
- Leave to marinade for 30 minutes
- After marinading in a lidded saucepan , bring the water to the boil and add the lentils, simmer for 10 minutes
- Pour into the lentils , the mushrooms and the marinade
- Allow to simmer for a further 15 minutes
- Add a little more water if it begins to look dry
- Serve with a sprinkling of fresh thyme.
This looks delicious. I’m not sure I would trust myself to forage for my own mushrooms, though.
I found one like this today.
I have never really considered this mushroom as being an edible. I dismissed it as being too tough. But you have really spurred my interest with this recipe. I will give it a try next time I find one.
Hedgehogs are common here too.