King Trumpet Mushroom Love, Mushroom Pasta Recipe, Verna Detroit Spotlight, & Upcoming Subscription Details
#84: Winter Happenings @ Featherstone Garden
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Mushroom Spotlight: King Trumpet Mushrooms
In tandem with our mushroom subscription, we’re sharing the health + wellness benefits, flavor profile, and storage + prep tips of a variety of mushrooms sourced from our friends at The Mushroom Hub.
This week’s we’re showing some mushroom love for King Trumpet Mushrooms. And aren’t they so adorable? We thought so! Let’s get to the health benefits & tips.
Flavor & texture profile: These mushrooms have a meaty and savory flavor, often described as being akin to scallops or lobster, with a firm and chewy texture.
Health benefits: Similar to most mushrooms across the board, king trumpet’s are low in calories and high in nutrients. They’re a great source of protein, dietary fiber and many vitamins and minerals, like potassium, copper, and zinc. They also contain antioxidants that may help protect against stress and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Storage tips: These mushrooms are on the dry side and are best stored in the refrigerator wrapped in a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Enjoy them within a few days for optimal flavor/texture, but they will hold up in fridge for a week or so.
Prep tips: Trim off the bottom of the stem and discard the tough parts. The stems can be sliced and cooked in a variety of ways (see this shredded mushroom carnita recipe!), such as sautéing, grilling, or roasting. The caps can be sliced and used in stir-fries, soups, or stews.
Creamy Miso Mushroom Pasta
By Renee S.
This week’s recipe is by no means healthy like last week’s Mushroom Tarragon Grain Bowl, but it is incredibly delicious and decadent—the kind of meal you might want to save for a dinner night-in with friends. That way, you’ll be more inclined to share it rather than succumbing to finishing off the entire pot of pasta alone (yes, I’m guilty of that). If you’re into wine, I’d suggest pairing this with a light + dry white wine to balance out the richness of the dish.
Flavor wise, this recipe has many Asian influences, but categorizing it as Asian-fusion feels appropriate. The miso paste, fumi furikake rice seasoning, garlic and coconut milk are all commonly found in Asian cuisine, but linguini, tarragon and parmesan cheese are more common to Eastern European cuisine. I think the flavors work well together, but be cognizant that the tarragon should be more of a background flavor to subtly compliment the mushrooms, rather than a prominent one. The sweetness and nuttiness of the coconut milk balances out the savory, slightly funky and salty umami flavor of the miso paste. And the parmesan cheese helps create a thicker sauce to coat the pasta. If you use the recommended King Trumpet mushrooms (I highly recommend!), the texture holds up so well in this dish, almost creating a meat-like substitute.
Prep tip: Sauté mushrooms in plenty of oil and/or butter on medium heat for longer than you might think, adjusting the temp if mushrooms seem to be getting too crisp. Don’t over-stir! Allowing mushrooms to cook up undisturbed will help achieve a crispier texture, rather than a soggy one.
Recipe: Creamy Miso Mushroom Pasta
Yields: 2-3 bowls of pasta
Ingredients:
8 ounces linguini
8 ounces king trumpet mushrooms (buy local at Mushroom Hub!) (feel free to use any mushrooms of choice!), thinly sliced/chopped
1 heaping tablespoon white miso paste
2 tablespoons full fat coconut cream from a can (tip: scoop out the thick/solidified cream from a can of full fat coconut cream.)
1-2 sprigs tarragon (about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon), de-stemmed & finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter or oil, divided
Katsuo Fumi Furikake rice seasoning (to garnish)
Directions:
Step 1
On the stove, boil large pot of salted water. Cook linguini in boiling water for about 6.5-7.5 minutes, or until cooked to al dente, (al dente = slightly firm, or slightly undercooked). You can also reference cooking instructions on box/package of pasta.
*Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before straining pasta!
Step 2
In a separate (preferably cast iron) pan or skillet on the stove, heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil on medium heat. Sauté mushrooms until halfway cooked, about 6-8 minutes, then add pinch of salt and minced garlic. Continue sautéing the mushrooms and garlic until crisp and browned, at least an additional 6-8 minutes, or more depending on mushroom type and thickness.
Step 3
Once pasta is cooked to al dente, strain pasta while reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water (this helps create a thicker pasta sauce!). Leave pasta in your colander and set aside the pasta water. Return the empty pot that was previously used to cook your pasta to the stovetop and combine 1/2 cup of pasta water, remaining 3 tablespoons of butter or oil, coconut milk, and miso paste, stirring well on med-low heat to incorporate all ingredients and create a somewhat viscous sauce. Once the miso is completely broken down (3-6 min or so) and your left with a smooth sauce, add cooked pasta back in with shredded parmesan cheese. Quickly and vigorously toss pasta and cheese into your miso/coconut sauce to achieve a thicker sauce that nicely coats the pasta, adjusting the heat on the stove to make sure your pasta is warm enough. If the sauce becomes too thick or gooey, add more reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
Once pasta is well coated in sauce, turn off stove. Add sautéed mushrooms and finely chopped tarragon and toss well to combine all the ingredients.
To serve
Divvy out pasta evenly between bowls and garnish with a pinch of *Katsuo Fumi Furikake rice seasoning.
*You can find this seasoning at any Asian mart, like 168 Asian Mart in Madison Heights, but please note that this product contains fish and is not a vegetarian seasoning.
Enjoy!
Verna Detroit Brunch Pop Up
Mark your calendars! This upcoming weekend, Verna Detroit will be slingin’ veg-friendly brunch at Cafe Alto in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood. And very much in keeping with our mushroom theme, their menu features Biscuits & Mushroom Gravy, and a Frittata w/ Mushroom & Leeks. If you haven’t had the chance to try out a Verna pop up yet, here’s your chance.🍄 😋
It’s getting nicer out and we’re ready to serve you!! So come to @altodetroit this Saturday & Sunday from 9:30 till we sell out. You won’t want to miss out on the biscuits and gravy ❤️
Signup for our Upcoming 6-Week Microgreens + Mushrooms Subscription Cycle
Start off the new season with our farm fresh Microgreens & Mushrooms Duo Subscription (in collab with The Mushroom Hub)! Each week, our subscribers enjoy naturally grown, nutrient dense microgreens + mushrooms. Save 10% by purchasing the "DUO" subscription at $18/wk.
Individual microgreens or mushroom subscriptions start at $10/week, (payment due upfront).
Reminder: Our upcoming Flower Bouquet CSA is a lovely way to adorn your home with our bi-weekly bouquets all summer long while also supporting our garden throughout the 2023 season.
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Have a great week,
Annie, Aaron, Renee + Chili & Bean (our farm cats ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞ ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞)
