THE ULTIMATE MUSHROOM BOOK
The complete guide to identifying, picking and using mushrooms -a photographic A-Z
of types and 100 original recipes
Mushrooming is a hobby of ever-increasing popularity that everyone, even city-dwellers,
can enjoy. The common perception is that autumn is the time for mushrooming, but
mushrooms are one of the few wild treasures available nearly all the year round,
and interest and passions are easily aroused when we realize how many mushrooms there
are growing in our woods and fields. It is crucial, however, that the most expert
advice is taken when hunting for mushrooms. This authoritative guide offers essential,
clear and practical information for accurate identification and is followed by 100
delicious ideas for how to cook your pickings.
In section one, Peter Jordan describes the identifying features and habitats of the
most popular edible mushrooms, with additional hints and tips for preparation and
cooking. Each entry is accompanied by expert mushroom photography and shows in-situ
images of the growing mushroom for even more accurate identification. In addition,
a carefully selected group of the poisonous and inedible species which the mushroom
picker is most likely to come across is illustrated.
From the cook's point of view, mushrooms are an irresistible source of flavour, texture
and aroma. In the second section, Steven Wheeler explores the qualities of over 30
types of edible mushrooms-wild and cultivated. The introduction describes essential
techniques and imaginative ideas for drying and preserving mushrooms. But the real
thrill of mushroom hunting is collecting them, then cooking them fresh from the basket.
In the following pages there are many suggestions of how to incorporate the morning's
harvest into hearty breakfasts, warming soups and broths, and all manner of meat,
poultry, game, fish and shellfish dishes for every kind of culinary occasion.
Mushrooms have been valued for centuries as an alternative to meat, and vegetarians
are discovering once again the value of mushrooms for their first-rate flavour and
goodness. Steven Wheeler has devoted a whole chapter to vegetarian recipes, with
delights such as brioche spiralled with wild mushrooms, hash browns made with chicken
of the woods, and field mushrooms stuffed with hummus and herbs. With every recipe
photographed both in its step-by-step preparation and finished form, this is the
ultimate mushroom recipe collection.
