Shiitake recipes / Need help fast

Cafe Society
1

About a year ago a very large branch fell off an oak tree in the woods near my house. I was persuaded to “seed” this with shiitake mushroom spawn. Nothing happened for the longest time. As recently as three days ago I checked the log and saw nothing. I’d about given up hope.

Today I checked again - and I’m buried in them. I collected around 3 pounds of the best-looking shiitakes you’ve ever seen. I just had a mess for dinner (with homemade spaghetti sauce).

I have ordered a food dehydrator to preserve these long-term. I’ll be giving some away. But I badly need recipes. How about shiitake soup?

2

Well, you can sub them in any mushroom recipe, but this is one of my all time favorite recipes: Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce (the sauce is also very good with chicken if you don’t have good tuna.)

3

I don’t have a specific recipe, but you can also think salmon + soy sauce + freshly grated ginger + green onions, and broil or bake it.

4

You can’t go wrong with a mushroom risotto.

This recipe is close to what I usually do, although I prefer to use asiago.

Usually, I use portobello and shiitake in about equal measure, but that’s just for economy. A 100% shiitake risotto would still be very nice.

Also, your basic cream of mushroom soup is even better with shiitake. (If you like the taste of mushrooms, that is.)

I am envious of your shiitake log. (I’ve only managed to get them to fruit on sawdust & rice bran, indoors.)

5

One of the traditional ways of making Japanese dashi is with dried shiitake mushrooms.

Here is a dashi recipe with shiitake

And another

And another

And another

And there’s lots more out there on the internet.

6

Oh, yeah - if you’re going to dry them –

Consider making mushroom gravy.

Take about ten dried shiitake, and soak them in about 2.5 cups of boiling water. (ie, boil the water, pour it over the mushrooms in a container, cover it, and soak for half an hour or more.)

Drain the mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid.

Remove the stems, and then dice the mushrooms.

Dice a little onion and sauté it (med-high) in some oil until it starts to brown. Add a little thyme or herbs de provence and the shiitake, and saute for five more minutes.

Purée the mushroom mixture and set it aside. (You may need to add a little of the reserved soaking liquid to make it easier to puree.)

Make a roux with three tablespoons each of flour and butter.

Stir in the purée, all at once, and then gradually add the reserved soaking liquid. (I like to add a little fresh minced serrano pepper after a little of the soaking liquid has been added - YMMV.)

Let it thicken for maybe five minutes.

This is a nice gravy over creamy mashed potatoes. (And it looks like a lot more work than it actually is, written out like that.)

7

Thanks to all - excellent suggestions.