Harvest nostalgia.

Pumpkin patch 2011

Harvest colors

   As days get shorter and weather gets colder and more wet, I look forward to the fall season. I love the colors of autumn, the fresh apples and pears and pumpkins. I look forward to comfort food in my kitchen, like warm root vegetable stew, pumpkin pie, or warm apple crumble. Everyone starts walking around with pumpkin-spiced coffees and hot chocolates. I love that the dreary days make my home feel like a little sanctuary, protecting me from cold and rain. I get sentimental with Thanksgiving approaching, and picking best pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. Monkeys get excited over what costumes they will wear for Trick or Treating this year. I get excited about carving the pumpkins and decorating our house. Most of all I look forward to Girly Monkey's birthday and spending time with family.
   I can understand why this season is almost never one of the favorites with people, but I get a bit nostalgic about it.
It brings me back to my childhood days in Poland, when my aunt took us mushroom picking on the weekends and then back to her place for a wonderful wild mushroom meal. My aunt had been diagnosed with aggressive uterine cancer and her doctor told her that if she wants to recover she has to do more than just chemo and medications. He suggested she takes up mushroom picking as a hobby and learn about the kinds of mushrooms that are edible. He said that there will be two-fold benefit to it. First of all, mushroom picking can be a form of relaxation and almost have a meditative benefits. Since you can't hurry finding wild mushrooms and picking them, it forces you to slow down and de-stress. Another benefit of collecting wild mushrooms is consumption of mushrooms. Mushrooms have several different compounds that help to boost immune system and are suspected of helping to fight cancer. Many universities are becoming interested in doing more research on mushrooms and cancer.

2010 Monkeys in costumes

   Since my Aunt was going through the fight for her life she devoted many long hours to mushroom picking. She would often offer to take my sister and I with her to help her pick mushrooms. I remember fondly the smell of the forest early in the morning (you have to pick them very early or animals or other people will pick them), the feel of spongy, moss covered ground underfoot, the streaks of sunlight filtering through the canopies of the trees. I remember the thrill of finding a mushroom and running to my aunt to show her where they were. The best part was arriving at her place after few hours and having her prepare the mushrooms for lunch or supper. I can still smell the mixture of wild mushrooms browning on the frying pan. The blend of Porcinis, Chantrelles, Saffron Milk Cap, and Slippery Jack among my favorites, filled the whole house with a woodsy aroma. It's a scent that never leaves you. Autumn days bring me back to that wonderful mushroom scent.
   My family always prepared mushrooms in a variety of ways, but my favorite was sauteed with butter and in a cream sauce. My mouth is salivating remembering the flavor of it. I have been making my mushrooms this way for as long as I remember, but the flavor is not the same unless you have access to some wild mushrooms. Sometimes, I add some dried wild mushroom mix just to give cultivated mushroom some of the "wild" flavor, but it never has the same kind of woodsy aroma. I had once asked my mother to write to my aunt in Poland to send some dried mushrooms and you can just imagine my excitement when the package arrived. We used the mushrooms to make traditional Christmas Eve mushroom soup, and it was THE BEST meal that I have had in years. Until I learn the skill of mushroom picking myself, I will have to satisfy my mushroom appetite with cultivated mushrooms. They might not be wild mushrooms, but they are mushrooms, and I love all kinds.

It's always fun to see them loving the season!

   I thought that I would share with you my family's tried and true Sauteed Mushroom recipe in cream sauce. If you have access to wild mushrooms then go ahead and use them, but cultivated mushrooms can be used with great success. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
 

Niki's Mushrooms in Cream Sauce

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• 4 cups of fresh fresh mushrooms (alternatively, you can use 3 cups of fresh mushrooms and 1 cup of dried mushrooms soaked in warm water for 20 minutes. Save the soaking water)
• 2 tbsp of organic butter
• 1/2 cup of organic cream
• 1/2 cup of warm water (if using dried mushrooms use the water from soaking them)
• Salt and butter to taste

Instructions:

Gently wash all the mushrooms so they are free of sand and dirt. Do not soak mushrooms or they will absorb too much water. Cut all the mushrooms (fresh and dried ones that have soaked in water) into 3 cm cubes. Some people discard the stems of mushrooms finding them a little more "fibrous" but I never throw them out. I cut them and the caps since this recipe will require longer time in the pan they give the whole dish added texture. Plus I really hate wasting any part of these wonderful fungi. 

   Next warm up a large frying pan on medium low and melt butter in it. Do not let the butter burn but you can wait until it browns a little. Place all mushrooms into the pan and begin sauteing them slowly. After about 7 minutes add pinch of salt to help the mushrooms release water. Continue sauteing them until they turn brown. If they begin looking a bit dry add a bit of water and continue to saute them. Once they look gray-brown add the rest of the water. Let the water reduce for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

   Once the water in the mushrooms is reduced to about 2 tbsp, add cream slowly. Lower the heat to low and cook for about 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper and take off the heat. Let the mushrooms in sauce stand for few minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve warm with some cheese bread or slice of french bread with butter. Enjoy!