It's hard to mistake these for anything poisonous in Europe but if you're lucky enough to find some, check with someone who knows or a good book before proceeding.
The parasol mushroom has thin, delicately flavoured flesh which does not discolour when cut. Because its flavour is so mild it should be cooked quickly without other flavourings, and because it is so tender it's ideal for making into Fritters or Tempura if you're feeling fancy.
My favourite tempura batter is made with beer, a fine light lager for preference with just enough flour whisked in to make a thin creamy emulsion.
Brush your mushrooms off (or wash if they are very dirty) and remove the stalk. Divide the caps into quarters and dip into the batter. They're very light so you'll need to spoon the liquid over to get a good covering.
Deep fry in nice hot oil (not smoking, of course) until the batter is just turning golden. Lift from the oil and drain, salting immediately they come from the pan.
Because I'm very taken with the concept of wild food I decided to serve these on a bed of chickweed, which is currently running riot in the cleared patches of my vegetable beds. Cut a nice bunch, lightly dress with a few drops of sesame oil and use as a bed for four or five pieces of Parasol Fritter. Serve with a wedge of lemon. Makes a lovely starter for an autumn themed dinner party.
5 comments:
Beautiful mushrooms! They look a lot like shaggy mane mushrooms, an edible mushroom that's popping up here now.
Funnily enough, I did manage to pick something that looks like a parasol and is supposedly 'inedible' the other day -- a Shaggy Scalycap. Getting info about edibility is difficult though. Some places I read it should be considered inedible as it tastes unpleasant and is associated with gastric problems; but I also read they're eaten in Latvia following a couple of hours of boiling. What must *that* taste like?!
I do worry that I'll encourage people to eat something poisonous. To this end I've put another picture in the post to help with ID.
Seems like you had a lucky escape with your find.
That Latvian site looks quite interesting but they must be desperate to eat something that bitter.
Hi Maggie, I've been reading your mushroom growing posts with interest. I've tried a few logs but without success. Next year I hope to try some mushroom spawn directly in the fields here, we seem to have just about everything except plain old field mushrooms.
Hi. I just discovered your delightful blog. If anyone else is reading this in the USA, be very cautious about Parasol mushrooms. There's a common poisonous look-alike here called the Green-spored Parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites). As the name suggests, the mature (fully open) caps have greenish gills, but in young caps the gills are still white, and then it's a dead ringer for the Parasol.
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