Creamy Wild Chanterelles with Pinot Grigio, Garlic and Thyme over Papparadelle Pasta

This weekend I went Cinnabar Chanterelle foraging. It was the first time I had done this as I did not know that they grew in Miami. Turns out they grew in a national park less than 200 feet from my home. I had a fun day, got soaking wet, worked my way through the mud and sticks and spider webs and there they were! Their bright red color was unmistakable. It did take about 2 hours online watching videos so that I understood exactly what to look for and did not end up picking and eating the poisonous Jack O Lantern mushrooms which mimic the chanterelle.

At first bite, I did not like them. They were peppery and burned my throat. I like spicy, but this was not in a good way. I wondered if I had picked the wrong ones. I ate two, and still was fine the next morning. Once cooked the spiciness disappeared and they had the most lovely, soft flavor. They are not pungent like most mushrooms, not woodsy at all, so I had to compensate for the lack of flavor, thus I used a lot of wine, garlic, thyme and Parmesan cheese. They were delicious. I liked the delicate texture.

The mushrooms were very dirty. I snipped off the bottom of the stem which was filled with black dirt. I did not slice or cut the stem off as they were very small and tender. After snipping off the root, I placed a cup or two at a time in a bowl of water, swishing them around. They were full of sand and dirt. Some of them needed to be swished in water two times, changing the water in between. Now, if they are left wet, they will decay. So I placed the clean chanterelles on paper towels and stacked them in a tupperware and then placed them in the refrigerator overnight. The ones left out, turned into a tiny piece of hardish wood and were not very good. When you are ready to cook them, leave them out on the countertop on paper towels for about 30 minutes first, as they will not brown if they are wet. I can’t wait for this adventure again, they are only in season until the rains stop and the weather cools off, which is coming soon.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including cleaning the fresh mushrooms)

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 cups mushrooms ( I used Red Chanterelles) You may use the regular Chanterelles or any combination of wild mushrooms you can find. Using mixed varieties is quite pretty. Mix in regular sliced button mushrooms into your wild mix for a different texture, if you wish

8 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup of shallots, sliced thinly into rings

¼ tsp dried thyme

10 strands of fresh thyme sprigs

6 Tbs butter

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup heavy cream, you can substitute half and half, warm the cream first

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup Pinot Grigio

¼ cup Vermouth, plus 2 Tbs

1 ½ tsp salt

½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

½ tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 Tbs fresh chopped parsley leaves

fresh ground pepper to taste

16 oz Paparadelle pasta

Directions:

Prepare the mushrooms if they are fresh. Rinse and store as described above. Store bought mushrooms require very little preparation. However, if using whole, large mushrooms, I would suggest slicing ½ of them. Mixed wild mushrooms can be left whole, but trim the woody stems. Perhaps, mince the stems and sauté with the shallots and garlic first.

Melt the butter in your frying pan on medium, add the olive oil. Add the shallots. Saute one minute. Add the minced garlic and your dried and fresh thyme. Stir. Only saute 1 minute, so as not to burn your garlic which will give your dish a bitter flavor. Add the mushrooms. You will need to do this in two to three batches so that you do not overcrowd the mushrooms. If you overcrowd the mushrooms, then they will steam, not brown. If they are wet or damp, they will not brown. Simmer mushrooms stirring constantly about 6 minutes for each batch. Remove batch one, when done and add batch two. Add a little butter if necessary, but there should be enough left in the pan to be ok.

Add the chicken broth to the pan, add the reserved mushrooms, now all the mushrooms should be in the pan. Bring to a simmer for 1 minute. Add the wine to the pan. Bring back to a simmer, 3 minutes. Warm up the cream in the microwave, just 30 seconds. If you add the cream when it is cold, it is possible that the sauce will separate. Do not add the salt until the very end, as this could also cause the sauce to separate. If you use milk, the less fat, the more the chance that it will separate. Add the vermouth. Simmer 3 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir well. Add the parsley leaves, the lemon zest, the salt and the ground pepper.

Serve over Paparadelle cooked Al dente, which means, firm to the bite. Usually package directions will guide you to cook the pasta a minute or two less to achieve this texture.

Serve with bread and salad.