Risotto has to be one of the nicest ways to use the mixed bag of fungi that so often comes back from a foray. The warm, earthy flavours of most wild mushrooms lend themselves really well to the generous unctiousness of a well made sofritto.
In the odd world of fungi, the hedgehog mushroom still manages to stand out as eccentric. Its the joker in the pack, and for anyone who is struggling to get to grips with identifying edible wild mushrooms, its refusal to conform to even the loosest of mycological norms make it a godsend. Better still, it is fairly common, immune to insect attack and very tasty.
Winter chanterelles are a common, easy to identify and delicious mushrooms that can be picked in large numbers right through November and well into December. Here I look at 4 species that often get referred to as winter chanterelles: yellowlegs, golden chanterelle, ashen chanterelle and winter chanterelle
These delicate and beautiful little “weeds” (gardeners loathe them) are a very tasty addition to any salad, though they lose their charm when cooked. They have overtones of rocket and watercress and come in lovely little garnish sized rosettes…
Making flour from reedmace rhizomes and other roots and tubers is an activity that has being going on for millenia. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers would have used similar processes to those still used by aborigines today. The process is one of capturing and preserving starch in a digestible form. Have a go and get back to your roots!