Nebbiolo and the Fungiphobe

Hi,

I'm a vegetarian.

I also have a lifelong dislike of mushrooms.

Since I like to regard myself as someone who can appreciate fine food, I've been on something of a personal crusade recently to try and wean myself on to eating mushroom so that I can expand my limited culinary repitoire. I'm fairly sure that it's the smell mushrooms give off when being fried (which I still maintain is revolting) rather than the taste itself that's put me off. Stage one was to start eating some of the virtually tasteless mushrooms you find in some Chinese food. Stage two was to eat mushrooms in strong chilli sauce.

Stage three is to eat some baby mushrooms, which I'm assured are not strong, in an ordinary dish of some kind. As an encouragement toward this I have bought myself a bottle of Nebbiolo - never had it before and which I'm very much looking forward to trying - which everyone says goes well with mushrooms.

So, can anyone suggest a suitable vegetarian receipe with baby mushrooms that will complement the Nebbiolo? It's not Barolo or anything else famous, just common-or-garden Nebbiolo from a reputable producer.

Matt, Hi.....

My strengths on vegetarian dishes are primarily with first courses and side dishes. The following should go very nicely with the Nebbiolo.

Best
Rogov

Fried Olives w Mushrooms
A Middle-Eastern Dish

250 gr. green olives, pitted and chopped finely
250 gr. champignon mushrooms, cleaned and chopped finely
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 hot red pepper, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
toast points or cocktail crackers for serving
In a skillet heat the oil and in this saute the onions until translucent. Add the mushrooms, hot pepper and garlic and continue sauteeing until the onions are golden brown. Add the breadcrumbs and olives and saute for 2 - 3 minutes longer, stirring constantly. (Add a bit of olive oil if the mixture becomes overly dry). Serve hot on toast points.

So, can anyone suggest a suitable vegetarian receipe with baby mushrooms that will complement the Nebbiolo? It's not Barolo or anything else famous, just common-or-garden Nebbiolo from a reputable producer.

Make a mushroom pizza.

I used to also actively dislike mushrooms. For me it was the texture and mouthfeel. Then I went to university near a place where they grow a large percentage of the mushrooms grown in the US, and it was impossible to avoid them; they were in everything because they were inexpensive for the food service to obtain. After a while I got used to them, but still didn't like them. It took me several years of trying different kinds prepared in different ways to begin to like them.

However, now I love them. So there is hope, Matt!

I wish you luck in pursuing mushrooms. Although I've always liked mushrooms, there's so many to try. The portobellos taste like beef, cloud ears are crunchy, etc. There were several foods that I actively tried to like because everyone else seemed to enjoy them: tomatoes, asparagus, steamed clams, for example. Eventually, there was an epiphany for each food, and now I love 'em.

Yes, branch out beyond cultivars and go a little wild; there's an amazing array of flavors and textures to be had from chanterelles, porcini, morels, lobster mushrooms... And there's a lot of recipes here for wild mushrooms. I can personally attest to the magical pairing between Nebbiolo and porcini.

Matt
Tarragon is a wonderful match for mushrooms, particularly wild ones. Often good to start with it (the mushrooms) finely chopped in a sauce (cream, mushroom, tarragon - pukka! as that fool Oliver would say ) and build up from there. Also consider finely chopping dried mushrooms to add subtle flavour/texture to a sauce

Bakers and Larners of Holt do a really wonderful tinned german soup of wild mushrooms, but sadly for you I believe there is meat in it (worth checking the ingedients closely).

The brains of the operation is very much into mushrooms, having even led a couple of Funghi walks at Whitlingham Broad in Norwich. I think we now have about 8 mushroom books and I'm writing off a week of our autumn holiday in Emilia-Romagna to morning mushroom walks Actually, I do enjoy the walks, as much for the variety of funghi to see, as to eat.

For me I do try quite a few of the wild mushrooms, but flavour-wise I'm often disappointed (and texture can be a problem if overly slimy). Fresh (and I mean fresh - Piemonte fresh ideally!) Porcini are something else and well worth a try if you ever find yourself there in Autumn.

regards

Ian

p.s. Any plans to be in Norwich at the end of this month? I'm planning a low key get together of a few wine-pages forumites and if you're in town...

So, can anyone suggest a suitable vegetarian receipe with baby mushrooms that will complement the Nebbiolo? It's not Barolo or anything else famous, just common-or-garden Nebbiolo from a reputable producer.

Sorry to ask what must be a very basic question, but what are baby mushrooms? I am a huge fan of wild mushrooms and one of my favourite dishes is a mushroom risotto (black trumpets and false morels are my favourites) with Nebbiolo! Would a risotto work with baby mushrooms?

-O

Tarragon is a wonderful match for mushrooms, particularly wild ones. Often good to start with it (the mushrooms) finely chopped in a sauce (cream, mushroom, tarragon - pukka! as that fool Oliver would say ) and build up from there.

I like Tarragon - I'm guessing it's a big enough herb to stand up to the wine. Sounds like a mushroom risotto with tarragon might well be the way to go then.

p.s. Any plans to be in Norwich at the end of this month? I'm planning a low key get together of a few wine-pages forumites and if you're in town...

Sadly not. My trips to Norfolk are - usually - only once a year. I rely on family members coming to see me since being older, they don't have to spend six hours with kids in the back of the car, and we do.

Sorry to ask what must be a very basic question, but what are baby mushrooms?

Just common mushrooms picked when they're still small. I understand they don't have a great deal of flavour, which is why they're ideal for my purposes

Hi, I'm a vegetarian. I also have a lifelong dislike of mushrooms.

So, can anyone suggest a suitable vegetarian receipe with baby mushrooms that will complement the Nebbiolo? It's not Barolo or anything else famous, just common-or-garden Nebbiolo from a reputable producer.

Hi Matt,
If faced with your situation, I would start with some regular white or crimini mushrooms. Slice them, and sauté them in EVOO with a couple or four cloves of garlic (minced) (don't let the garlic burn), splash them with a hit of wine a minute or two before taking them off the stove. Then, I would ladle them over a rather large grilled portobello that I would substitute for a nice ribeye. Sounds good to me!

This would work nicely.

Wild Mushroom Ragout

1 ounce Dried Porcini Mushrooms
2 cups Boiling Water
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Shallots, minced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 # Button Mushrooms, slice 1/2 " thick
1 # Wild Mushrooms (oyster, chantrelle, shitake, etc.)
Salt
1 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup fruity Red Wine
2 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, chopped
Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Place a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the juices out of the mushrooms. Rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand (you may not need to do this step, use your best judgment). Squeeze dry and chop if they are large. Reserve the soaking liquid.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat (this is bullshit; use high heat and cook like a pro) and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the button mushrooms, wild mushrooms, and about 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and exude their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened and you can no longer see the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the wine and turn the heat to high (if it is not already there). Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, rosemary, sage, and the porcini liquid. Stir together and test for salt. Bring to a simmer (now you can lower the heat if you have been cooking like a pro all this time) and cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding liquid is thick and gravy-like, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in some black pepper and taste for salt again. Serve hot or warm.

rwj

I'm a mushroom lover, so my advice may be skewed. Anyway, I suggest starting with milder species -- chanterelles, white button, oyster. If those don't drive you away, then you can try stronger-flavored ones -- porcini, shiitake, hen of the woods.

Good luck.