It’s the beginning of November, guys, the last opportunity to preserve whatever this fall gave us in terms of fruits and vegetables.
For me, it means sautéing and freezing chanterelles (which are pretty scarce this year), turning quince and apples into thick sliceable marmalade (dulce de membrillo and dulce de manzana), and oven drying and pickling the last batch of tomatoes from out little garden.
Chanterelles are easy. Buy or pick them yourself; if they are wet, arrange them loosely on a counter/table lined with a newspaper and air dry for a day or two. This only works in low humidity weather, otherwise instead of getting dryer mushrooms can become moldy.
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. I try to avoid washing/rinsing mushrooms because of their tendency to absorb water like a sponge which results in a slimy snail-like texture. I have nothing against snails, I love to eat them. But snails are snails and mushrooms are mushrooms.
If chanterelles are too dirty, clean them using compressed air cans. These cans do real wonders on blowing out the dirt from mushrooms caps and gills.
Only if your mushrooms are really (and I mean, reeeeeeealy) dirty, you can very quickly submerge them in cold water, just in and out, clean thoroughly all over with a paper towels and spread loosely on a newspaper/paper towel to dry before cooking.
Chop cleaned mushrooms into pieces to your liking. Leave small mushrooms whole if you want.
Heat oil in a pan and add mushrooms. Don’t overcrowd the pan – mushrooms should sauté in oil, not steam in their own juices. Better do several batches.
Sauté the mushrooms on a medium high heat until they become slightly golden and shrunk. Season with salt. I don’t use any other seasonings because I can use these mushrooms for a variety of dishes later and I want them be simple and, that is, versatile.
Let the mushroom cool to room temperature and put into small freezer-proof Ziplocs. I sign mine with a name and date so the bags are easily recognizable among the other goodies in my overcrowded freezer.
If I’m lucky to get some trumpet mushrooms, a.k.a. black chanterelles, which season is usually after chanterelles, I preserve them in the exact same manner. Well, almost exact, except the cleaning part. Trumpets are hollow and not spongy, so it’s absolutely OK to give them a good bath. And they are, as a rule, quite dirty, it’s a much needed procedure.
What to use them for? I use sautéed chanterelles/trumpets as an addition to sautéed potatoes (a very Russian dish), omelets and scramblers, salads, sauces, gratins, pasta, the list is endless.
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