As I made my second pass through the University District farmers market (the first pass is for buying ingredients I know I need, the second is for inspiration), I noticed a new mushroom vendor, and stopped to chat and take a look. He had small baskets of shiitakes and lion’s mane mushrooms, and a large basket of shiitakes marked “seconds.”
I asked him what seconds meant, and he replied, “Seconds mean I took a couple of days off.” He hadn’t picked the mushrooms at the right time, so they’d gotten slightly overripe. That’s why some of the caps had become ruffled. They would have a somewhat softer texture, he said, and would not last quite as long. As I had decided I’d cook them that night, this wasn’t an issue.
I like to cook mushrooms simply to highlight their flavors (morels in cream on toast, matsutakes in broth), and decided to use the shiitakes in a pilaf with emmer and leeks. I sautéed sliced leeks in butter and olive oil until softened, then added the shiitakes, thinly sliced, and let them brown slightly. I added a little chicken broth, covered the pan, and cooked the mushrooms through. I tossed the leeks and mushrooms with emmer that I’d cooked earlier in the afternoon, ground on some black pepper and drizzled it all with a few drops of BC balsamic vinegar.
A bowl of creamy Guernsey yogurt with a dollop of homemade pear butter added a sweet finish (and some protein) to a simple dinner.
Local ingredients for this dinner brought to us by the folks at:
- Rockridge Orchards, Enumclaw, WA (34 miles): pears, honey (in the pear butter)
- Golden Glen Creamery, Bow, WA (64 miles): cream (for butter)
- Cascadia Mushrooms, Bellingham, WA (78 miles): shiitake mushrooms
- Alm Hill Gardens, Everson, WA (89 miles): leeks
- Grace Harbor Farms, Custer, WA (91 miles): Guernsey yogurt
- Venturi-Schulze Vineyards, Cobble Hill, BC (95 miles): balsamic vinegar
- Bluebird Grain Farms, Winthrop, WA (116 miles): emmer farro
Non-local ingredients:
- Organic chicken broth (from Oregon)
- Olive oil (from California)
- Black pepper (far, far away)
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I love looking at mushrooms for their variety, even though I don’t choose to eat them. Seconds – they are great things! I got lots of apples as “seconds” from a local orchard and put them to good use in applesauce. As you said, they can be just as tasty in the right recipe made at the right time.
That sounds delicious and your photos are drop dead gorgeous!
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