Name that Mushroom!

ei2014
wild morel mushrooms - дикі сморчки гриби ???

Ukrainians everywhere have a penchant for mushrooms!  And of course the folk songs tell of hunting for mushrooms in the fall, but there are special mushrooms hunters who get out there early in the spring too!

Ukrainians use a lot of mushrooms and cream in many recipes - and every Ukrainian cookbook comes with at least one favorite variant!  This one is from an old cookbook that gives advice on the social aspect of mushroom picking, packing a picnic and sticking together with an expert mushroom identifier. 

Wild mushrooms are a treat, but there is a Ukrainian joke that goes something like this.  What kind of wild mushrooms can you pick?  All mushrooms are edible, it's just that some mushrooms are edible more than once!!  

A friend in Calgary found these lovelies in a heavily wooded pasture with a creek, somewhere near Calgary, but unfortunately she is sworn to secrecy about the actual location! All the same here are a couple of great recipes to enjoy!

Mushrooms in Cream

1 pound mushrooms          2 T chopped onion
3 T butter                          2 T Flour
1/2 cup chicken stock       1/2 sweet cream
Salt and Pepper                1 t chopped dill

Use room temperature ingredients for best results!  Clean, wash, drain and slice the mushrooms. Cook the onion in the butter until it is barely tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes or longer. Blend the flour with the chicken stock to a smooth paste. Stir in the cream a small bit at a time to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mixture boils. Season to taste, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or longer. More cream may be added for a thinner sauce. When ready to serve, stir in the dill.

Mushrooms in Sour Cream

1 pound mushrooms          1 small onion, chopped
2 T butter                          2 T flour
1 cup sour cream              1/2 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper                1 t chopped dill

Clean, wash, drain and slice the mushrooms. Cook the onion in the butter until just wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes. Blend the flour with a little of the cream to make a smooth paste, gradually stir in the remaining cream, and add to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mixture boils. Add the garlic and season to taste. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or longer. When read to serve stir in the dill.

If the mushrooms look relatively clean, just damp wipe the mushrooms as they could absorb more water than you wish, and get mushy. You could also try a soft bristle mushroom brush!

Mysterious Mak - Poppyseed

amk2012

The poppy flower is but the beginning of a delicious journey in the human tradition.  Red, beautiful, growing, scattered by the wind, seeded by nature or by hands, the poppy is essentially a weed, a hardy wild flower that has possibly 6,000 years or more Ukrainian culinary tradition.

amk2012

First, grow a lot of poppies to maturity.  Enjoy the beauty.  The petals will fall and the seeds will gradually dry to maturity. Before the holes in the top of the head release the seeds, bring in a bouquet of dried poppy stocks to dry further.  Pop the tops off and drain the seeds into a bowl, then sift out all the excess bits.  Keep the seeds frozen until use.

Before modern technology, in traditional use, one would grind the poppy seeds using a mortar and pestle, a large one called a makitra, макітра, and makohon, макогон.  The poppy seed releases a white liquid that smells a bit like almonds.

I have seen recipes using dried poppy seeds, but the product is much different from traditional East European cooking. While Baba used the makitra and makohon, it is safe cooking practice to quick scald the seeds before use.  Moistening the seeds, then grinding them in a blender produces a creamy, soft and white paste that makes for delicate and delicious culinary use.

amk2012

Being present in the moment, you have to consider how much time, care and love traditional delicacies require.  Imagine grinding your poppy seed in this tool, which sits nobly on my shelf as a reminder of how Baba spent a lot of her winter evenings.

Can you recommend a method that has worked for you?




http://ukrainiancalgary.blogspot.ca/2012/12/little-black-poppy-seeds.html

Taste Baba's Cooking

The smells of home cooking, of Baba's cooking!  What could be better!

If you are a Ukrainian food enthusiast, you know the time, care and talent it takes to make beautiful traditional dishes to serve to your family and friends.  It is a bit challenging, but the accolades and compliments are always motivators.

And you can always prepare for feast days in advance - when you  have the help of some other person's Baba -  like the lovely ladies of Baba's Own Ukrainian Food in Edmonton!

Did you see Baba's Own Ukrainian Food in the Edmonton Journal on Wednesday November 14th, 2012 in the "FOOD" section under "TASTE ALBERTA" (E3) ? If not click this link to view and read the article: 
http://www.smhg.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=XeMGuJkavhY%3D&tabid=69&mid=684