Mushroom salad with lentils and caramelized onions, topped with crunchy pine nuts and briny capers – it’s a symphony of textures and fall flavors, and a excellent meal in itself, this salad doubles up because the correct potluck dish, or Thanksgiving side.
Last weekend, we packed our bags, and headed for a 4 hour force up north, to the Mendocino coast, to attend the annual mushroom and wine festival. I’ve learn about it so many occasions in previous years and all the time needed to go. I lastly saw an ad about a guided wild mushroom foraging tour, and I was bought on the spot.
I booked the tour a few months in advance, and that turned the pivotal level in our trip. I had notions of discovering all sorts of fairly and strange mushrooms that I’d simply considered in pictures, and choosing bags filled with delicious wild mushrooms that I may later prepare dinner into diverse dishes. I imagined that I’d pattern thrilling mushroom specialties on the native restaurants, and purchase distinctive mushroom gifts. As time approached, the youngsters got quite excited too, impressed through my whimsical descriptions. We couldn’t wait!
poisonous mushrooms
I guess I ought to have completed extra research, and depart my enthusiasm aside. As it seems we’ve picked the worst probably yr for mushroom foraging. Of course it makes experience – after 4 consecutive years of extreme drought in California, even the coast, the position it’s all the time foggy and misty, is dried up so well, that mushrooms are nowhere to be seen! Even as our e-book explains it’s a actually bad year, they usually haven’t discovered much, I nonetheless assume she ought to be exaggerating a little and proceed to desire for the best.
false turkey tail, and chanterelle mushrooms
Oh well, let’s simply say, it was a smart stroll within the woods 🙂 We didn’t see many mushrooms, and most of what we saw have been tiny, toxic ones. We discovered that the Mendocino coast is truly the region to cross in smart years, because it harbors over 3000 diverse fungus species, probably probably the foremost noted of all being the Candy Cap mushroom. This little mushroom is extremely prized for its extreme maple syrup-py scent, and it’s also very rare. In reality you possibly can simply discover it within the Pacific North West, and simply about 400 kilos are harvested annually. It’s largely used for its aroma, and never so a lot for its taste, and we have been later fortunate to pattern this native delicacy, turned into ice cream at Frankies, in Mendocino. It was truly delicious, and tasted and smelled precisely like maple syrup! I simply wished I may discover dry sweet caps to deliver residence and attempt perhaps a sweet cap flan, or creme brulee (mmm)…
The loss of mushrooms (not simply within the forest but interestingly within the native restaurants too) simply left me yearning mushrooms even extra than before. So whilst we got here again home, I went to the shop to purchase no matter mushroom type that they had (wild or not). I may discover a few smart watching oyster mushrooms that I mixed with typical brown ones, and the primary factor I made was this mushroom salad.
I mixed the mushrooms with caramelized onions that's a vintage combination, and further black lentils for a few substance. The black lentils tiny pearls stay small and entire after cooking, and hold their bite, that's precisely what I want for this salad. They also are very quite on this dish.
I mixed in a smart quantity of pine nuts and capers, and the salad turned out fantastic. The slight buttery style of the pine nuts, combines truly effectively with the earthy aroma of the mushrooms, and the briny, salty capers offer bursts of acidity, simply sufficient to make the flavors pop. You can serve over a bed of arugula or diverse greens, or simply consume it as is. I’ve even packed the salad as a faculty lunch! It has the youngsters approval stamp, so that on my own makes it a keeper in my book!
MUSHROOM SALAD WITH LENTILS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Mushroom salad with lentils and caramelized onions, topped with crunchy pine nuts and briny capers -it's a symphony of textures and fall flavors, and a high-quality meal in itself, that doubles up because the correct potluck dish, or Thanksgiving side.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs medley of uncooked mushrooms
2 Tbs butter
2 huge onions
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup dry black lentils
3/4 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup capers
a splash of truffle oil optional
2-3 tbs of chopped garlic chives for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Clean, and cut mushrooms in small pieces. Saute in 2 tbs of butter with salt and pepper, till totally cooked (about NULL cups cooked mushrooms).
Chop the onions, and saute within the olive oil, on low heat, till they caramelize and switch golden brown (10-15 minutes). You ought to give up up with 1 cup of cooked onions.
Boil the broth or water, upload salt, and the dry lentils. Cook for about 20 minutes or till the lentils is absolutely cooked with out being mushy. You ought to get 1 cup of cooked lentils.
Assemble the salad via blending the cooked lentils, mushrooms, and onions. Adjust the salt, and upload truffle oil if desired. Mix within the capers and pine nuts, and serve over a bed of arugula, sprinkled with plenty of garlic / onion chives.