Culinary Corner

Hanna Docampo Pham

Culinary Corner
by Hanna Docampo Pham
 

Welcome to the MSSF Culinary Group, open to all MSSF members who are interested in the gastronomical aspects of mushrooming. We are united in the love of cooking and mushrooms.

Due to the current public health situation, the Culinary Group is holding monthly outdoor potlucks for small groups. Gatherings are generally held on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the San Francisco County Fair Building (Hall of Flowers). Members of MSSF and the Culinary Group, and their guests, are invited to attend. 

The latest Culinary Group Potluck was held on November 1, 2021, with the theme “Day of the Dead''. Seventeen fully vaccinated people attended, each bringing a dish to share with the group. Some of the amazing dishes served were morel cornbread with a deliciously creamy morel sauce, salmon with homegrown shiitake mushrooms, porcini scalloped potatoes adorned with tater tots, miso cookies, candy cap cookies, and candy cap Day of the Dead sugar skulls. 

On November 16th, 10 members of the Culinary Group met for the first ever Culinary Foray on Sunset Boulevard, with Curt Haney and Paul Lufkin as foray leaders. Looking among the Pine and Cypress in the area, and enjoying mild weather, the foragers found two edible mushrooms Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus) and Shaggy Parasol Chlorophyllum (formerly Macrolepiota) rhacodes. Later they met at H-Mart and continued their foray inside, exploring the many fresh mushrooms and fungi options.

The Culinary Group’s regular dining program goes on hiatus in the month of December, encouraging its members instead to attend the Society’s Holiday Party. This year, the MSSF Holiday Party will occurring on December 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the Boulevard Cafe in Daly City.

 

Recipe of the Month is Fresh Porcini in Thick Sour Soup Kulajda
Figure #1		Figure #2

Recipe of the Month is Fresh Porcini in a Thick Sour Soup called Kulajda 
(Martin Arcimovi; see Figure #2) 

Kulajda is a Czech soup, made with mushrooms, potatoes, and dill. You can use almost any mushroom, fresh or dry, in this recipe, but porcini gives Kulajda a strong, robust flavor. 
With early October rains, the porcini season is getting an early start. Boletus Edulis (Figure #1) is one of the most sought-after edible mushrooms and every year it draws crowds out to the forests. This regal mushroom is prized for its earthy, nutty, and slightly sweet taste.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh porcini mushrooms
3 large potatoes
5 cups stock
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons dill
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Pepper
 
Cooking Instructions 

1. Clean the mushrooms and chop them.
2. Wash, peel and dice the potatoes.
3. In a medium sized pot, bring the stock to a boil, and add the mushrooms, potatoes, and cumin. Let the stock continue to boil, but be careful not to fully cook the potatoes prior to step 5.
4. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs. Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. Carefully place the eggs into the water. After cooking for 9 minutes, remove the eggs and place in cold water to cool down.
5. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the cream. Crush any lumps in the mixture, and stir until fully combined.
6. When the potatoes are almost soft, add the dill, the vinegar, and the cream with flour to the pot. Cook for 3 more minutes. In the meantime, peel and slice the eggs.
7. Salt and pepper the soup to taste. Ladle into bowls, and finish by adding the eggs. Enjoy!