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12/1/2022 0 Comments

Chef Matt Collins’ Cacio e Pepe with Mushrooms

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​Ready in 20 minutes
Serves 3-4  people

​Ingredients
  • 1lb.  Pasta 
  • 1 lb. Mixed Mushrooms
  • Butter
  • Sprigs of Thyme 
  • Grated Parmesan 
  • Avocado, Grapeseed, or Canola Oil 
  • Salt, Pepper, and Sichuan Peppercorns



Preparation
  1. Heat oil of choice to high heat with a sprig of thyme to infuse in oil. Add mixed mushrooms. Do not move the pan around too much, so they caramelize & sear. 
  2. Optional to deglaze the pan with wine or sherry. Then, put cooked mushrooms aside. 
  3. Prepare pasta according to the package. 
  4. Slowly melt about 3 tbsp of butter with pasta water in a pan. If butter is bubbling, add a touch more water.  Once emulsified, add 1 tbsp of black peppercorn and/or sichuan peppercorns. 
  5. Add grated parmesan to the sauce. The cheese will help the sauce thicken. 
  6. Mix pasta, sauce, and mushrooms together to serve. 
  7. Optional to add olive oil and microgreens to finish. 


This recipe is from our first monthly cooking demo featuring Chef Matt Collins. 
​Check out Chef Matt Collin’s for private dinners and pop up events! 
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6/3/2022 0 Comments

Oyster Mushroom

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Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus citrinus
Pleurotus is from pleur meaning “in a sideways position”  tus for “ear” 
Ostreatus means “oyster-like” referring to the shell-like appearance and color, not flavor
Citrinus meaning citrus-like (in color)


Flavor Profile
  • Delicate Flavor
  • Yellow oysters are a little nutty tasting
Nutrition
  • Fat 0%
  • Carbs 2%
  • Fiber 8%
  • Protein 6%
  • Sodium 1%
  • Potassium 10%
  • Copper 10% 
  • Folate 8%
  • Iron 6%
  • Magnesium 4%
  • Niacin 21%
  • Pantothenic Acid 11% 
  • Riboflavin 15% good source
  • Selenium 3% 
  • Thiamin 5%
  • Vitamin B6 5% 
  • Vitamin D 6% -immune system, bone health, brain function
  • Zinc 5%
Health Benefits
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-microbial
  • Ergothioneine- Powerful anti-oxidant
  • Cholesterol benefits- rich in lovastatin
  • Useful with myelin sheath and nerve related disease
    • May benefit those with Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s-neuroprotective
  • May increase levels of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin
  • May help fight cancer– hormone-sensitive cancers
Storage and Cooking
  • Refrigerate in a paper or mesh bag
  • Keeps for close to a week
  • No need to wash them, just wipe with a damp towel if you insist
  • Remove stem base and use these for a broth if desired
  • If they dry out, simply soak in water for a few minutes
  • Best sauteed in oil or fat, add mushrooms first, then other veggies
  • Goes well with garlic, shallots, onion
  • Serve on top of or next to a meat or other veggies
  • Quiche
  • Tacos
  • Chicken Marsala
  • Mushroom Soup
  • Stir Fry
  • Thai Soups with coconut milk, ginger, lime…
  • Grill them
  • Roast them
  • Saute them
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6/11/2021 0 Comments

A few ideas for grilling mushrooms

We've been playing around with some mushrooms on the grill, now that the weather is nice. Not that weather really ever stops us from grilling. It's more the hot weather makes us not want to turn on the oven, so we take it outside!
Here are some ideas for tossing some 'shrooms on the barbie!
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Burger topping or mix-in
1. Chop up some peppers, onions and mushrooms. Any other veggie could work here too.
2. Lay them on a piece of foil, and cook them on the grill. We have a top grate to our grill for things that don't want to be in the flame and we use that. You could also just use the cooler side. The idea is to give it a slower roasting to soften and cook. 
This makes a great topping for burgers, or any meat or fish. Throw it onto a salad, in tacos, over toast, in rice or a pasta dish. Pretty much anywhere!

 Seasoned Mushroom Fillets or Patties
1. Slice a Lion's Mane mushroom, King Oyster or Black Pearl Oyster into fillets or patties. One of us liked them cut into 1/2" thick slices, for a nice meaty bite. Both of us enjoyed the thinner 1/4" slices. You just stack a few on top of each other. Thinner slices will also cook a bit faster.
2. Spray or drizzle some olive oil, or your oil/fat of choice on both sides.
​3. Sprinkle a seasoning of your choice on both sides.
       Some ideas: Blackened seasoning blend
                                 Bada Bing Bada Shroom Sprinkle
                                 Rise 'n Shine Sprinkle
                                 simple salt and pepper, garlic,
                                 or any other herb
4. Lay the slices on the grill and grill for about 8 minutes, depending on the thickness and your grill.
Serve them in a sandwich in place of meat, or along with other sides like potato salad, rice and grilled veggies, or corn on the cob.
Pictured is a blackened lion's mane over escarole and lettuce with a mayonnaise dressing (though I forget what kind), and garnished with violet flowers.
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Marinated Grilled Oysters (or any other style of  mushroom)
1. Make a marinade, or pull a vinaigrette dressing or marinade from the fridge or cupboard. To make the one we used, whisk together 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3T water, and 1 1/2 t Bada Bing Bada Shroom Sprinkle. A sesame soy ginger vinaigrette was also a delicious choice.
2. Cut just the very end off the mushroom cluster, maintaining the clusteriness, or if using lion's mane, or larger mushroom, slice as in the previous recipe. 
3. Place the mushrooms in a bowl or baking dish and pour some of the marinade over the top and try to coat as much of the mushroom as you can by turning and rubbing them around a bit. You could use a plastic bag too. 
4. Let marinate for at least a few minutes. Mushrooms soak up liquid pretty quick. We let it sit for an hour or two as we had a cocktail and enjoyed the back yard.
5. Toss them on the grill. It will flare up a bit, but that's where the good char comes from! Cook them for about 8 minutes flipping and turning as needed.
6. Remove from the grill and let sit a few minutes before slicing or chopping. 
We've used these in a sandwich, alongside pierogies (one of those nights when you look and that's about all you have in the fridge), in tacos and on salad. It's like eating a tender steak!
​
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4/14/2021 0 Comments

Lion's Mane "Crab" Cakes

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Ready in 45 minutes
Serves
4 people

Ingredients
  • 1 Pound Lion’s Mane Mushroom, shredded
  • ​¼ cup red bell pepper
  • ¼ cup red onion
  • ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise 
  • 1 egg
  • 2 T fresh herbs (any combo of scallion, cilantro, parsley, dill...)
  • 1t Old Bay
  • Flour
  • Oil or butter
Preparation
  1. Shred the Lion’s Mane into crab sized pieces.
  2. Cook in a frying pan with ¼ cup water, salt and pepper until water has cooked out and evaporated. *See TIPS below. Set aside to cool.
  3. While Mushrooms are cooling, chop the herbs and vegetables to your desired size. I minced them.
  4. Combine these ingredients and add the lion’s mane when it is cooled enough to handle.
  5. From the ingredients into 4 or 5 inch cakes and place on a dish or pan and let rest in fridge for at least 20 minutes, up to overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 350F
  7. Dredge the cakes in flour.
  8. Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a pan. You’re not frying the cakes, just browning each side for about 3 minutes.
  9. Place cakes on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
  10. Serve over a bed of fresh greens with a dollop or more of sauce or dressing. So many options work!
Tips
If the lion’s mane is still quite wet, you can squeeze some water out, but this gets messy. Be careful not to brown the lion’s mane, as you want it to have the feel of crab. Roasting is another option, I tend to overdo it with roasting, so I prefer the stovetop.

​
Dressing Ideas
A simple tartar sauce always works.
Sometimes I mix sour cream and mayonnaise (both or one or the other) with a bit of sriracha to make it as spicy as you want.
My newest experiment was ½ buttermilk, ½ mayonnaise and a teaspoon or so of Rise n Shine Sprinkle
An avocado/ goddess dressing might work too.

​
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4/1/2021 0 Comments

Stef’s Go-To Thai Dish

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Ready in 45 minutes
​Serves
6 people

Ingredients
  • 1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb chicken, pork, steak or shrimp (optional), sliced into strips
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 carrots
  • Bok choy or other green (napa cabbage, tatsoi, chard, spinach)
  • 1T minced garlic
  • 1T minced ginger
  • 1 pint Teriyaki soup or other broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • Oil-olive, coconut or peanut are good options
  • Kaffir lime leaves, or other citrus or lemongrass
  • Rice noodles (1 bag) or rice (2 cups cooked)
  • Cilantro and scallions for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Other options: 
    • Snow peas
    • Soy sauce, Sriracha, lime juice
    • Hot peppers, chopped
    • Turmeric, thai basil, curry
Preparation​
  1. Prepare rice as directed, if using rice.
  2. Slice meat if using, and brown in pan with some oil, salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Sautee mushrooms in pan over high heat with a little broth, until they release liquid, then add oil. (I went heavy, like 1/4 cup) Cook until slightly browned.
  4. Add carrots and onions, sautee until slightly tender. 
  5. Add garlic, ginger and hot peppers, stirring until fragrant.
  6. Lower heat. Add broth and lime leaves, deglaze the pan.
  7. Add any additional herbs and browned meat and bring to a simmer.
  8. While this is simmering, prepare rice noodles if using them.
  9. Toss in greens, cover and let sit on low heat until greens wilt.
  10. Add coconut milk, and other optional ingredients such as soy sauce, sriracha, etc.
  11. Remove citrus leaves or lemongrass.
  12. Toss noodles or rice in and incorporate into sauce. You can also just serve it over the rice or noodles.
  13. Garnish with chopped cilantro and scallions.
TipsBruise the citrus leaves with the back of the knife.
I’ve also done this without the rice, because I forgot. It made for a nice stew.

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3/21/2021 0 Comments

Mushroom Tacos

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Ready in 20 minutes with a little prep ahead of time!
Ingredients
  • Mushrooms, shredded (¼ lb makes about 3 tacos)
  • Holly Jolly Jams Garlic Pepper Jelly
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 ½ t salt
  • Cilantro
  • ​Taco Shells
Preparation
  1. Pickled onions. Whisk vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup water together.
  2. Place sliced onion in a bowl or jar.
  3. Pour liquid ingredients over onion and let sit at room temperature for an hour, or make ahead of time and refrigerate.
  4. Mushrooms. Shred mushrooms into thin strips
  5. Sautee mushrooms in pan with a little water until mushrooms release their water, then add oil and continue cooking until mushrooms get a little crispy and browned on edges.
  6. Take off heat and add 1-2 t  of jam per ¼ pound mushrooms
  7. Add salt to taste.
  8. Prepare taco shells as desired. We use a cast iron skillet on high heat to lightly brown them on both sides.
  9. Layer mushrooms and onions on shells and garnish with cilantro or any other toppings.​​
Tips
Make the pickled onions ahead of time. Thinly sliced carrots, pineapple or mango could also be added.
Feel free to add some other herbs to the onions.
Other garnish ideas:
Cilantro avocado mayo or sour cream
Avocado
Cotija cheese
Fresh squeezed lime

​
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3/13/2021 0 Comments

Shepherd's Pie

This is a great recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day , but don't limit yourself to eating this once a year!
​
Ingredients
  • 2.5-3 pounds russet potatoes
  • 12-16oz. Mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 lb ground meat of choice (optional)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 5 T Butter Me Up Garlic Basil butter
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 cups broth/soup base
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1t rosemary
  • 1t basil
  • 2T Worcestershire (optional)
  • 2T balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup peas (or more)​
  • Milk
  • Salt and pepper
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Ready in 45 minutes
Serves 8 people
Preparation
  1. Boil potatoes in water, until tender, as you would for typical mashed potatoes. We left the skin on. You can peel them if you prefer.
  2. Chop mushrooms by hand or in food processor for smaller, “ground meat” style pieces. Sautee with 2T broth for 3 minutes, then add 1T of the butter.
  3. Add meat, if doing so and begin browning.
  4. When meat is done, or almost done if you’re impatient like me, add chopped onions and carrots. Sautee until slightly tender.
  5. Sprinkle in herbs and peas, stir.
  6. Add broth and wine, bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
  7. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. Let this sit off heat while you prepare potatoes. We left ours pretty wet, like a stew. 
  8. Preheat oven to 400F
  9. Potatoes. Strain the cooked potatoes and mash them up with remaining 3-4 T butter and milk. We used about ½ cup for a drier version. A wetter version will be easier to spread. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Pour mushroom mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish/lasagna pan.
  11. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
  12. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes. Or until top of potatoes start to brown and bottom stew is bubbly. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
  13. Garnish with fresh Parsley if desired.
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12/23/2020 0 Comments

Mushrooms and Jam?!?!

What a crazy idea! Believe me, it's delicious and a simple appetizer!
Here's the recipe:
1. Sautee about 1/2 pound of mushrooms over high heat for 5 minutes or so. I used a mix of Chestnut, Pioppino and Shiitake. I like them chopped into 1/2" pieces so they don't slide around like noodles on your chin when you bite in!
2. Add 1 clove chopped or crushed garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Lower heat and add about 2 Tablespoons jam. If you're still thinking this idea is crazy, try a savory or spicy jam like a pineapple habanero, balsamic fig, red wine, or bacon jam. I used "Sugar Plum Fairy Jam" from my friend Holly at Holly Jolly Jams. Check her out on Facebook or Instagram! This is a plum jam with rosemary, lemon juice and ginger.
My pan was still quite hot, so everything got a nice bit of caramelization!
4. Serve over toast or crackers with cheese. I used Manchego. I think any nice cheese would work here, sweet, creamy, or stinky blue.
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12/21/2020 0 Comments

Roasted Oyster Mushrooms Over Salad

We'll admit, this was our first attempt at roasting oysters. "Can you roast these?" is a question we hear a lot, and well, we don't do much roasting in the summer, but now that it's winter and the added heat in the house is welcomed, we're roasting up a storm!
Ingredients
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms shredded into 1" thick slivers
Olive Oil
Bada Bing Bada Shroom Mushroom Sprinkle
Pine Nuts
Arugula
Oil and Vinegar dressing *optional
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
Tear oyster mushrooms into slivers about 1" thick.
Place on a rimmed baking sheet. 
Drizzle or spray with olive oil.
Sprinkle some Bada Bing Bada Shroom on top.
Roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Check for water and drain off. Our mushrooms weren't wet, so we just returned them to the oven and roasted another 5 minutes.
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Sprayed with oil and sprinkled with Bada Bing Bada Shroom
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After roasting 20 minutes at 375F
2. While mushrooms are roasting, toast up pine nuts.
KEEP AN EYE ON THEM!!!
They go from not done to burnt in seconds!
We placed them in our toaster under the toast setting for 3-5 minutes. Our toaster is old and weak, so keep watch!
Shake them up periodically, since the outside nuts will toast up first.
Put them aside.
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3. While things are hopefully not burning... Prepare dressing.
We had some nice rosemary vinegar a friend made which we mixed with olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of dried nettle leaf. You could use a store bought vinaigrette or make up your favorite.
4. Place greens in a bowl. We had a nice mix of arugula and spinach from our weekly CSA share. Kale, or other flavorful greens could also work, but the bite from arugula is real nice!
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss greens around.
6. Top with roasted mushrooms and pine nuts.
​7. Enjoy!
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Paul thought this was as good as having slices of steak on a salad! 
​We ate this as a side with our pizza. It's hearty enough to be a meal on it's own.
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12/19/2020 0 Comments

Manhattan "Clam" Chowder (or stew)

When I told my sister, the English major about this recipe, she got quite upset about it. At first I wasn't sure if it was the Mai Tai talking, or the"Manhattan" part of it. We're from New England, so maybe she was offended and worried that I'd strayed after being in New Jersey so long. After a bit more animated words, she explained that the issue was actually with the word "chowder". (Sounds like another never-ending debate similar to "sauce" vs "gravy", or "pork roll" vs "Taylor Ham".) She's on the side that a chowder must contain milk or cream. I can't argue. I agreed I'd call it a stew. Since it is based off of a traditional "Manhattan Clam Chowder" recipe, I didn't want to confuse people or make it sound like something else. So call it what you want. 
To further confuse the issue, I used mushrooms in place of the clams to make it a vegan recipe. 
Ingredients
2 cups Shimeji, or Beech Mushrooms, chopped into 1" pieces
3 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into cubes
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt Spicy Mushroom Soup
1 Tbsp Olive Oil/Butter of choice
28oz can tomato puree or blended whole tomatoes
bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste if needed
3 Fresh Thyme sprigs
​Parsley for garnish

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1. Place a Dutch Oven over med-hi heat.
Add mushrooms and 1-2T of the broth or soup stock.
The mushrooms will begin to shed their moisture, and when it's evaporated (about 3 minutes), add your oil or butter of choice and continue to sautee mushrooms for another 3 minutes. 
This trick allows for the mushrooms to release their moisture while preventing them from sticking to the pan. It eliminates the need to keep adding oil as they absorb it so aggressively!
2. Add the chopped onions, celery, carrots, pepper and potatoes and sautee another 3 minutes or so.
​3. Add garlic and stir another 1 minute or so until fragrant.
4. Lower heat and add tomato and soup stock.
5. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaf. We also threw in some astragalus root sticks for an immune booster.
6. Bring to a boil
7. Lower to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes or so, or until potatoes are cooked through.

I took a picture with the clock in it, so I'd remember what time it started and have a good idea how long it simmered. I failed to capture a picture of the finished pot. I'll work on this. It's so much better to cook with a glass of wine or a cocktail and with a friend. Things get away sometimes.
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Add salt and pepper if needed. Ours didn't need much since the soup stock we used has soy sauce and spices already added. If you can't get some of our stock, you might want to add hot pepper flakes as well. Keep in mind the potatoes really mellow things out.
Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley if you're not one of those people who don't like parsley. 

This recipe served 2 very hungry people with a grilled cheese on the side, and 2 servings to 1 more person who decided not to share with person number 4 because it was so good!
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    Author

    We're a couple of mushroom fans. We grow mushrooms. We cook mushrooms. We create mushroom snacks. We forage mushrooms. We sell mushrooms to chefs. We sell mushrooms to the public. We study mushrooms. Amateur mycologists. 
    We also love growing other foods and have chickens for eggs.

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​Long Branch, NJ 07740
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