(Order at bottom of page)

Shitake Mushroom Casserole
Shitake Mushroom turkey Loaf
Shitake Teriyaki
Shitake Balsamic Vinaigrette
Mushroom Bread Pudding
Super Turkey Stuffing
Venison in Creamed Shitake sauce
Shitake with White Wine and Chicken
Fish and Soybean Hodge Podge
Mince Pork Patties with Mushroom Caps

Shitake Mushroom Casserole: top

1/4lb (100gm) Dried shitake mushrooms
½ glass of Red wine
1 Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2lb (225gm) Cooked Ham
1/2lb (225gm) Lean Pork
1/4lb (125gm) Bacon
4 Sprigs of Parsley
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp (15ml) Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper
½ oz (15gm) Dripping
1 Tbsp (15ml) Oil
1 Tsp (5ml) Wine or Cider Vinegar
Add the ½ glass of red wine to a bowl of warm water and presoak your mushrooms for about 45 minutes, then slice them into pinky size strips. Preheat the oven to 325 F (170c). Peel and chop the garlic and onion. Mince the bacon (derinded), ham, pork and parsley and add these ingredients to a bowl and mix well with the eggs, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Heat the dripping and oil in a casserole pot and, when hot, remove from heat and put in a layer of your mixture (don’t pack it tightly) and then a layer of the sliced mushroom caps. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up. Cover and bake for about 2 hours and sprinkle with vinegar just before serving.
Serves 4

Shitake Mushroom Turkey Loaf: top

6 large dried Shitake mushroom caps
2 tsp (10ml) Olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Basil
½ cup (125ml) dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp (30ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 green onions chopped
¾ tsp (4ml) salt
¾ tsp (4ml) pepper
1 egg beaten
1.5 lbs ground turkey (or chicken)
2 tbsp hot salsa Presoak the mushrooms for about 45 minutes in a bowl of warm water and then thinly slice them. Preheat oven to 350F (180c). In skillet heat the oil (medium heat) and cook mushrooms, onion, garlic and basil stirring for about 3 minutes or until softened.
In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, green onions, salt, pepper, egg, mushroom mixture and mix in turkey. Press into greased loaf pan and brush on the hot salsa.
Bake for about an hour and 20 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 185F (85c). Let stand for 10 minutes and pour off any fat.
Makes 8 servings (slices).

Shitake Teriyaki: top

1 cup dried Shitake
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 chopped green onions
a few drops (roasted) sesame oil
Reconstitute 1 cup dried Shitake by covering with hot water and let stand till caps are completely soft. (Or cover with cold water, microwave on high for 2 minutes and let stand.) Cut off and discard stems. Squeeze excess liquid from caps and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Place pieces in saucepan with 1/4 cup sake, 1/4 cup soy, and 2 tbsp. light brown sugar. Bring to boil and simmer, uncovered, till liquid is almost evaporated, tossing mushrooms occasionally. Remove from heat, cool, and chill. Sprinkle with finely chopped green onions and a few drops of dark (roasted) sesame oil. Serve as appetizer, side dish, or over rice.

Shitake Balsamic Vinaigrette: top

3 cups canola oil
1/2 cup sesame oil
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
2-3 cups dried Shitake mushrooms, chopped/ground into small pieces (about twice the size of a peppercorn. If some of it gets ground into powder along the way, all the better!)
Combine all ingredients in a vessel that can be shaken without leaking. Then shake that puppy! Allow to sit for 24 hours in order for the Shiitakes to swell up and distribute their flavor throughout the mixture. Serve over salad or as a dip for raw vegetables.

Mushroom Bread Pudding: top

This recipe is from Jefferey Wright, via the Internet
A savory delight! This is based on the Italian tradition of fresh bolletes, recycling of yesterday’s bread and strong full flavored stocks. Not to be missed as side dish for a special occasion or as a main dish when it is cold and rainy outside.
Filling:
Half pound of mushrooms (fresh bolletes or shiitakes or dried mushrooms can be substituted)
garlic - one clove
one half onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
Bread Pudding:
half loaf of bread
3 eggs - beaten
half cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon of minced Italian parsley
salt approx half teaspoon
pepper (lots)
half cube of butter
two cups homemade stock (chicken, vegetable or beef)
Step One:Sauté onions and garlic until transparent and then add mushrooms. Continue until mushrooms are golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.
Step Two: Butter the inside of a soufflé pan. Slice the half loaf of bread. Butter both sides of each slice of bread and put an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Put the cooked mushroom over the first bread layer. Combine the eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and parsley. Pour one half the mixture over the mushroom and bread layers. Cover the mushroom layer with one more layer of buttered and sliced bread. Pour the remaining eggs cheese mixture over the top bread layer. Pour approx. two cups of stock (you could even use mushroom stock) over the bread mushroom mixture. It should just come to the top layer of bread.
Let the mixture absorb the stock for at least one half hour. It could even hold overnight in the refrigerator. Bake fifteen minutes at 400 degrees. The pudding will puff up and get a beautiful golden brown crust on top. Carefully run a knife around the inside of soufflé pan, and invert on a plate to unmold this beauty. Serve with a small amount of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Super Turkey Stuffing: top

Thanks to David Wells from the Minnesota Wellness Society

Dried Bread (multi-grain mixed with a soft wheat)
½ lb. Butter
½ Can Chicken Broth
1 Large Onion
Celery
Giblets
Pistachio Nuts
Shitake Mushrooms
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Cut up the bread in cubes and place into a large pot. Now you'll add the moisture, however, if the Shitake mushrooms come dehydrated, it is best to warm up the chicken broth and butter and rehydrate the mushrooms for half an hour. You can also add some Shitake sauce (found in Chinese food stores or some of the food co-ops) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cut up the rehydrated mushrooms and add them with the butter/broth concoction to the bread crumbs and mix well.
Chop up the onion and add it to the mixture, then cut up the giblets. I prefer to blend them in the food processor (it should look like blackberry yogurt). Then add that to the mixture.
If you have fresh spices, you should have a good handful of parsley and lots of sage. Add a few pinches of rosemary, and slightly more thyme and blend them together. If you don't have fresh spices, go get them. (Or use a little more of the dried.) You will know if the mixture of fresh spices is right when the wonderful aroma has a distinct hint of the stuffing your grandmother served you as a child.
Mix in the spices and stir well. Finally mix in the celery and pistachio nuts, if there are any left after pealing them. By the way, the pistachio nuts are the secret ingredient. They add a delicate sweetness to the flavor, so hand pick the good nuts and avoid the ones that look bitter.
Stuff the chicken and bake the left over stuffing in a pan next to the chicken remembering to take it out early. You'll know when it's done.
Remove the stuffing right away when the chicken is done, and mix it with the left over you just baked and put it back in the oven for another fifteen minutes covered.

Venison in Creamed Shitake Sauce: top

Submitted by Noreen Wedam.
12 2 oz. venison medallions, flattened with a cleaver. Dredge meat in flour, set aside on waxed paper
Combine in a saucepan, bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes:
1 oz. sliced, dried shitake, crumbled
1 C strong beef broth
1 T chopped pimento
1 t real salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t sugar
1 t soy sauce
In a one pint jar with tight lid, combine and shake until blended evenly:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T sour cream
1 T strong, red NW berry wine
2 T cornstarch
1/3 cup water
Stir into sauce with whisk. Cook until thick.
Sauté venison in 1/4 cup melted butter. Arrange three venison medallions on each serving plate. Drizzle with sauce. Top with grated truffles.

Shiitakes with White Wine and Chicken: top

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 large boneless skinless chicken breast
halves (about 10 ounces)
2 oz. Dried Shitake Mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced with stems removed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup canned low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
· Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. · Add chicken to pan and sauté until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. · Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and shallots; sauté until mushrooms are light brown, 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushroom mixture to plate with chicken. · Add broth, wine and tarragon to skillet; simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. · Return chicken, mushrooms and any collected juices to pan. Simmer until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Servings: 4

Fish and Soybean Hodge Podge: top

Ingredients: (4 servings)
2 packs (350g) boiled soybeans
16 pond smelt or other fresh water fish (approx. 15cm long)
1/2 burdock root (gobo)
4 dried shitake mushrooms
1/4 (60g) red carrot
10cm strip kelp
Flour as required

Stock:
600cc soup stock
4 Tbsp. sugar
50cc mirin cooking wine
80cc light salty soy sauce
Recipe:
1) Boil the soy beans rapidly for a short time, then transfer to a colander and let drain. Add to the combined soup stock ingredients and simmer.
2) Julienne the burdock root and carrot.
3) Reconstitute the shitake mushrooms and cut into 1cm strips. Dampen both sides of the kelp strip with a well wrung cloth and cut into 1cm strips.
4) Add the burdock root, carrot, shiitake mushrooms and kelp to the soup stock, then add the sugar and mirin. Cover with a drop-lid resting on the contents of the saucepan and simmer slowly for around 10 minutes over low heat.
5) Add the light salty soy sauce, cover again with a drop-lid and simmer further over low heat until the stock has all but evaporated.
6) Fillet the fish and wash in salt water, and pat dry. Using a brush, coat the entire fish with a thin layer of flour. Fry at 170C until golden.
7) Add the fish to the saucepan with the vegetables. Thicken the stock and serve.

Mince Pork Patties with Mushroom Caps: top

Ingredients (4 servings):
20 small dried shitake mushrooms:
250g mince pork:
3 Tbsp. ground sesame:
1 tsp. ginger, finely chopped:
Old spring onion (to be discarded) to taste:
Old ginger (to be discarded) to taste:
:
Pork marinade::
1 tsp. sake rice wine:
Salt to taste:
Dash soy sauce:
Pepper to taste:
1 egg:
1 tsp. powdered starch:
Dash sesame oil:
:
Seasonings::
400cc stock from reconstituting shitake mushrooms:
1 Tbsp. sake rice wine:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce:
2 tsp. sugar:
2 tsp. oyster sauce:
2 tsp. sesame sauce:
Recipe::
1)Reconstitute the shitake overnight in lukewarm water. Trim and discard the stems, and dry the mushrooms well. Place the reconstituting stock to one side.:
2)Place the pork in a bowl, add the pork seasonings and rub in well until sticky. Add the finely chopped ginger and ground sesame, mix well and place to one side.:
3)Sprinkle the underside of the mushroom cap with powdered starch and form the minced pork into shapes that sit nicely inside.:
4)Heat a little oil in a wok and place the shiitake and pork in it pork-side down. When browned, turn and briefly cook the shiitake side. Remove when moisture from the shiitake has evaporated.:
5)Place one tablespoon of oil in the wok and briefly stir-fry the spring onion and ginger. When fragrant, add all seasonings except the sesame oil, and return the mushroom-pork parcels to the wok shiitake-side down. Bring to the boil over high flame, remove fat and bubbles, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.:
6)Remove the old spring onion and ginger from the wok and discard. Simmer rapidly over a high flame until the liquid has reduced and stir in the sesame oil to finish. Transfer to a serving dish.