The cold store next to Natascha Rothengatter’s house near Deventer is full of crates and boxes with mushrooms. From Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. About half are wild mushrooms now, because it’s autumn! She only has to walk out the door and she trips over the porcini mushrooms.
Since 2005, Rothengatter and her partner Julia Bos have been selling mushrooms at markets in Haarlem, Zutphen and Amsterdam. No white mushrooms – you can get them at any supermarket. Portabella, her company, sells organic and wild niche mushrooms, for enthusiasts.
Rothengatter is always on the lookout for “sleek mushrooms”. She now has lobster mushroom from Canada. And matsutake, very popular in Japan. When it is available, it spreads like wildfire: “Matsu-alert!” Customers readily pay 17 euros per ounce for it, and then Rothengatter does not make a loss.
Her personal favorite is the horn of plenty, a black trumpet with curly edges. Hence the French name, trompette de la mort. Many people find it scary, a black fungus. But it has an earthy taste, then something fruity, and holds up even with game. “By the way, you can still wake me up for portabella stuffed with goat cheese.”
What she thinks is a shame: there is more and more attention for good food and special mushrooms, but the volumes are so small that growers stop with lesser-known mushrooms such as pied bleu or almond mushroom. “The range is getting smaller.”
Natascha Rothengatter can raise a tree about “the power of mushrooms”, about how much more you can eat with them – you can even get buried in a coffin of the root network of mushrooms – and how little we really know about the power of mushrooms. this mysterious fungal family, many of which are reluctant to grow.
But you also have to eat. And that’s why Rothengatter explains what to look out for. Disclaimer: “Nothing is quite true. There is an exception for everything.”
What is the difference between wild and cultivated mushrooms?
Only cultivated species such as oyster mushroom and shiitake can be given the ‘organic’ label. Rothengatter buys them from Dutch growers. Many species only grow in the wild, near a friendly tree. Most of them come from abroad, especially from Eastern Europe, where there is simply more forest than here. But Rothengatter also sometimes has mushrooms from Portugal or Sweden.
Every wild mushroom has its own season. “If you know that, you understand why you should not expect chanterelles in December and that there are morels in the spring.” A good seller is transparent about the origin. Then you can decide for yourself whether you also want them once they have flown in.
How do you store mushrooms?
“Mushrooms don’t like plastic. The more condensation you see against the lid, the more moribund they are.” Rather a little dried out than ‘those snot mushrooms’ from a container, says Rothengatter. “Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture and must be able to breathe.” They can be kept for at least a week from pick to plate, preferably in a paper bag in the fridge.
You can also dry them. Then they get a very concentrated savory taste. In front of the window above the heating, on a newspaper or strung on a string, Rothengatter thinks that’s a hassle. She has a device for it. You can also dry in the oven at 35 to 40 degrees. “If you dry them too hard, they turn into chips.”
Do you have to soak dried porcini before using?
Recipes often say that you have to soak dried mushrooms first to get them soft. “But you still use them in moist dishes, such as broth or risotto, so you can also add them right away.” Dried mushrooms are especially a great seasoning, you don’t eat them separately.
Porcini mushrooms (porcini, cèpes) are very popular in dried form. But the boletus edulis comes from a large bolete family, and often cheaper varieties are used to complement the expensive ones. The general rule applies here: more expensive is better.
Can you wash mushrooms?
Shiitake and oyster mushrooms grow on wood and straw: you don’t have to wash them. You can easily wipe the underside of mushrooms or portabellas grown on substrate with a layer of soil. Wild mushrooms with lamellae, such as chanterelles, are often a bit muddier or contain insects, but you can also wipe those clean, there are even brushes for it. Rothengatter thinks that’s gimmicky. “I scrape them clean with a knife.” This is difficult with morels because of the small cavities, you have to let the water run in there for a while. Rothengatter ‘showers’ the little mousserons and then she tosses them dry in a tea towel.
Rothengatter notices that people often expect mushrooms to look perfect, no bite should be missing. “And people are often startled by a few bugs. But if your food comes from outside and there is nothing on it, then you should worry.”
Tear, cut or leave alone?
It usually goes without saying: an oyster mushroom invites tearing. A giant bovist – the size of a football – is already being cut into schnitzel-like slices at the stall. Small mushrooms can go straight into the pan. They are delicious raw in thin slices. If they have a hard piece at the bottom of the trunk, you can cut it off, but if you don’t mind: just eating it is also possible.
Can you eat mushrooms raw?
The Nutrition Center recommends always heating mushrooms so that bacteria and the natural poison agaritine are killed. Rothengatter distinguishes between farmed and wild. She eats the first raw without hesitation. With a salad, ‘cooked’ in vinaigrette or as a garnish, for example. Yellow and pink oyster mushrooms are ideal for this because of their subtle taste. “And how much do you eat now?”
Although many wild mushrooms can also be eaten raw, she advises those who know little about them to heat them, if only for peace of mind. Eastern Europeans who go into the forest to pick at an early age are not so afraid. They know what they eat. “But Dutch children learn that wild mushrooms are poisonous, they only know them from red-and-white dots.”
Fry hard or soft, in butter or oil?
In many Asian dishes a smooth, soft structure is important, in which case mushrooms are often used in the dish. In Western dishes, mushrooms are more often baked so that they caramelize slightly or even become a little crispy on the outside. Rothengatter bakes them for a few minutes, almost always in butter. Even if she puts mushrooms in broth or soup, she bakes them first. If she wants crispier mushrooms, she adds oil to the butter, and it almost becomes frying. “Mushrooms with subtle flavors can also be fried dry, so that the taste does not disappear in the fat.”
You can also grill. Or in a hot oven (about 220 degrees) with the grill on. Potato with garlic and rosemary and add porcini mushrooms for the last few minutes. “And then have some left over to eat with a fried egg the next day.” Rothengatter gets hungry just talking about it.
photos Simon Lenskens