Amanita Recipes
Please read my page on Amanita muscaria for background information to these recipes.
There are varieties of Amanita mushrooms that can kill you. Safely collecting Amanitas for dinner requires learning how to identify the safe and unsafe varieties. This doesn’t take special gifts. In many parts of the world virtually everyone is able to distinguish edible from inedible fungi. Never guess at mushroom identification and always follow the classic mushroom collectors rule: in case of doubt, throw it out.
People without mushroom collecting experience ask, “But how can you really know?” You learn to recognize three or four distinctive characterists of a given mushroom, and you only eat the mushroom if it has all of those features. Mushrooms can be variable, and so, especially when collecting Amanitas, it is prudent to collect “classic” looking specimens and avoid anythat differ from the norm.
Recipe: Amanita Caesarea Salad: Italy
The preferred Italian preparaton is to thinly slice young specimens and serve them raw as a salad with a light dressing of an aromatic olive oil and salt.
Recipe: Amanita Caesarea Roasted Caps: Mexico
I collected this recipe from an Indian corn seller during the mushroom season in central Mexico.
Clean the mushroom, however, since the stalk is used as a handle, do not trim it off. Lower the mushroom by its stalk onto embers lightly covered with ash. Sprinkle the gills with salt. To promote even cooking, use the upturned stem to give the mushroom a one-quarter turn every 2 to 3 minutes and move it slightly so it is not always sitting in the same spot. As the mushroom cooks, it becomes damp with steam. You may also see water boiling between the gills. When the gills are cooked, the mushroom is done, usually 6 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, cut off the stem, and serve the cap while it is hot. The stem is often good eating. Cook the stem by laying it down on the embers, turning it as needed.
Recipe: Amanita Velosa Sauté
This is my own favorite mushroom. After cleaning, cut the mushrooms into thin slices, salt them lightly, and sauté them in a little very hot olive oil until the mushroom slices begin to brown. However, just before they brown, add coarsley chopped wide-leafed parsely, enough to give the dish color. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are brown and the parsely is wilted. I usually include the stem along with leaves.
