Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Pine Mushrooms on Sourdough Toast

Just look at that colour!
We have an amazing green grocer here in humble little Canowindra. Gaskill Greens  - owned by vegetable grower and food lover Greg Kocanda - is dedicated to selling as much organic, locally grown, seasonal produce as possible, and as we grow a huge range of produce between Orange and Cowra, the variety and quality available is as good as it gets. My children will not eat apples from the big supermarkets  any more (nor will I buy them - support the farmers not the corporates!). Fresh, crisp apples that have not been in storage for months are a revelation to the poor city folks.


My pine mushrooms on toast
Greg supplys all the best restaurants in the region and it is such a treat to go into his little shop in our main street every day to see what is on offer. Yesterday I bought these beautiful pine mushrooms (lactarius deliciosus or saffron milkcaps) and fried them up with garlic, salt and butter (mushrooms are, after all, the ultimate vehicle for the holy trinity of flavours!). Admittedly, I bought them for the most superficial of reasons - their divine colour! The result was delicious, although they are not quite as soft and silky as your standard field mushroom. Pine mushrooms have a less earthy, more delicate flavour and need to be cooked a little longer. And for all you hypochondriacs out there, beware the tangerine pee that may result - I spent an uneasy 24 hrs convinced I had an incurable liver disease!

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