Mushroom Cacciatore
By Luke Smithson
Cacciatore is a traditional Italian dish, sometimes referred to as a “hunter’s stew”. It typically includes small game or poultry, tomatoes, onions, garlic, wine and stock. It often includes any number of other ingredients such as greens, olives, capers and, of course, wild mushrooms. As culinary folklore tells us, rural hunters would return home with whatever they had bagged (rabbit, wild birds, etc.), wild mushrooms and greens they had collected on the way and combine them with the typical ingredients found around the rural household (onions, garlic, herbs, wine, etc.).
Cacciatore is traditionally served over polenta, a creamy cornmeal-based porridge. Often, polenta is nothing more than cornmeal and water. Aromatic vegetables such as onions are sometimes added as well as fats, such as olive oil or butter.
I typically use instant polenta for the sake of ease. Traditional polenta requires 45-60 minutes of constant stirring and attention; although if you have the time and inclination, it can be worth the effort. Care must be taken to find true polenta “corn meal”. Typical corn meals sold in grocery stores tend to be cheap dent corn, no different than the stuff they feed cattle. True polenta corn meal will be labeled specifically for that purpose. For the gardeners out there, specialty seed catalogs such as “Southern Exposure Seed Exchange” will sell seed for true Italian polenta. Interestingly, it is sometimes possible to find polenta cornmeal in colors other than yellow, such as blue or red. Most likely, though, you will have to grow this yourself. As I mentioned, instant polenta is generally pretty good stuff, especially when you are finishing it with ramp butter! When making instant polenta, simply follow the instructions on the box.
Many of the ingredients found in this Italian dish are originally from North America, notably the tomatoes and corn. But Italy has readily adopted these ingredients into its cuisine, developing both kinds of vegetable into varietals that are specific for sauces and porridge.
In this variation of Cacciatore over Polenta, I’ve omitted the meat and piled on the mushrooms. I try to choose varieties of mushrooms that will stand up to the strong tomato flavors: dried boletes, Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), Portabellas, etc. When using fresh mushrooms like Chicken of the Woods, I will blanch the mushrooms in salted, boiling water for a few minutes, until the mushroom are just cooked, and then proceed with the recipe. I will then use the mushroom blanching water as my mushroom stock.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 oz. Dried Boletes (Substitute 1 pound fresh ‘shrooms*)
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, diced
2 Tbs. Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Red Wine
2 Tbs. Thyme; fresh, chopped
2 Tbs. Parsley; fresh, chopped
1 Tbs. Sage; fresh, chopped
1 Tbs. Garlic, chopped
2 Bay Leaves
1 cup Tomato, diced
1 cup Mushroom Soaking Liquid
Method:
Serve mushrooms over warm polenta with ramp butter (Recipes below)
*If using fresh mushrooms, omit steps 1 and 2. Substitute mushroom stock (or chicken stock) for the mushroom-soaking liquid.
For the Mycophagy demonstration, we have combined both dried boletes and fresh mushrooms in this recipe for the sake of bulking up the quantities.
By Luke Smithson
Cacciatore is a traditional Italian dish, sometimes referred to as a “hunter’s stew”. It typically includes small game or poultry, tomatoes, onions, garlic, wine and stock. It often includes any number of other ingredients such as greens, olives, capers and, of course, wild mushrooms. As culinary folklore tells us, rural hunters would return home with whatever they had bagged (rabbit, wild birds, etc.), wild mushrooms and greens they had collected on the way and combine them with the typical ingredients found around the rural household (onions, garlic, herbs, wine, etc.).
Cacciatore is traditionally served over polenta, a creamy cornmeal-based porridge. Often, polenta is nothing more than cornmeal and water. Aromatic vegetables such as onions are sometimes added as well as fats, such as olive oil or butter.
I typically use instant polenta for the sake of ease. Traditional polenta requires 45-60 minutes of constant stirring and attention; although if you have the time and inclination, it can be worth the effort. Care must be taken to find true polenta “corn meal”. Typical corn meals sold in grocery stores tend to be cheap dent corn, no different than the stuff they feed cattle. True polenta corn meal will be labeled specifically for that purpose. For the gardeners out there, specialty seed catalogs such as “Southern Exposure Seed Exchange” will sell seed for true Italian polenta. Interestingly, it is sometimes possible to find polenta cornmeal in colors other than yellow, such as blue or red. Most likely, though, you will have to grow this yourself. As I mentioned, instant polenta is generally pretty good stuff, especially when you are finishing it with ramp butter! When making instant polenta, simply follow the instructions on the box.
Many of the ingredients found in this Italian dish are originally from North America, notably the tomatoes and corn. But Italy has readily adopted these ingredients into its cuisine, developing both kinds of vegetable into varietals that are specific for sauces and porridge.
In this variation of Cacciatore over Polenta, I’ve omitted the meat and piled on the mushrooms. I try to choose varieties of mushrooms that will stand up to the strong tomato flavors: dried boletes, Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), Portabellas, etc. When using fresh mushrooms like Chicken of the Woods, I will blanch the mushrooms in salted, boiling water for a few minutes, until the mushroom are just cooked, and then proceed with the recipe. I will then use the mushroom blanching water as my mushroom stock.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 oz. Dried Boletes (Substitute 1 pound fresh ‘shrooms*)
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, diced
2 Tbs. Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Red Wine
2 Tbs. Thyme; fresh, chopped
2 Tbs. Parsley; fresh, chopped
1 Tbs. Sage; fresh, chopped
1 Tbs. Garlic, chopped
2 Bay Leaves
1 cup Tomato, diced
1 cup Mushroom Soaking Liquid
Method:
- Cover dried boletes with 3 cups of near-boiling water (simmering). Allow to stand for 30 minutes.
- Drain liquid from mushrooms; squeeze out excess and reserve liquid
- Sauté mushrooms and onions in oil over medium high heat until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add olives and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
- Add red wine and allow liquid to reduce by half.
- Stir in herbs, diced tomato, and 1 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve mushrooms over warm polenta with ramp butter (Recipes below)
*If using fresh mushrooms, omit steps 1 and 2. Substitute mushroom stock (or chicken stock) for the mushroom-soaking liquid.
For the Mycophagy demonstration, we have combined both dried boletes and fresh mushrooms in this recipe for the sake of bulking up the quantities.
