Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-04
MUSHROOM; ;OA|NT|ES
AMuch Misunde rstood Edible
Now il Season.
THE PoIsoNoUs SPECIES
CAN BE EASILY DETECTED BY
SIMPLE RULES.
How to Prepare as Vege-
table. Course - Other
Recipes.
THE PoIsoNous SPECIES

Mushrooms, like the girl in the nursery
rhyme, are very, very good or horrid. II
properly cooked, they make a delicate en-
tree, delightful appetizer on the summer
dinner or luncheon table Handled care
lessly. served in slovenly fashion. they lose
the charm Of delicacy and fail utterly either
as food or appetizer.
The mushroom Is much misunderstood
vegetable. 1t has valiant defenders and
the most hostile Of enemies, and, strangely
enough. Its strongest partisans are among
the very rich and the very poor-the rich.
who pay fancy prices to green grocers for
the fresh vegetable and to importers for
the canned preparation; and the very poor.
who scour the woods and byways for Its
best forms.
BY a remarkable coincidence some of the
best varieties grow luxuriantly in mining
communities, where foreign children, who
occupy mere novels, may be seen hunting
around the colliery pits or the railway
tracks for dainties which have place or
honor on the millionaire's table. But the
great middle class are apt to view the
mushroom with suspicion, especially the
city housewives.
The amateur in gathering mushrooms
must avoid any variety which shows a
skirt or veil hanging down and around the
stem, also those whose stems seem 70
spring from a cup or cone-shaped grown III
the ground. The stem should spring from
the ground quite Independent OF ven Ut Guy
or skirt.
The most common mushroom IN the
United States Is the agarius campestris,
which springs from the sod In old pasture
fields and in country roads Inc nesn IL
white and solid, and when young the gills
are pink; later they turn brown.
Another common variety, particularly IN
woodlands where elms abound. is the CO
prinus micaceus, with cap no bigger thah
q nd Of a deIfCa t0 tan Color. lneSe
grow in great punches close to tree roofs
and when they are cooked the spores turn
inky black. They are said to be the mos
easily digested of all mushrooms. country
housewives make them Into delicious olsll
as follows:
Break or cut off the stems, wash and
drain the caps, then pack them In double
layer in shallow baking pan in which
tablespoonful of butter has been melted
Crowd them closely and dust with salt and
pepper. Cook in a moderate oven for half
an hour and transfer them to not dlsh.
Pour cup of cream into the pan in winch
they were baked pour over the mushrooms
and serve. They may be served on squares
of toast, or in the city. where pastry pat
ties can be bought ready prepared. they are
served in the heated shells and garnished
with a sprig of parsley.
Mushrooms should be cooked in porce-
lain saucepan and cut with silver knife,
as they discolor easily.
Mushroom Soup.-To make one quart of
this appetizing cream soup allow one half
pound Of fresh mushrooms; peel and wash
with one pint Of boiling water, little salt
and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Boil
slowly until very tender, then remove from
the broth and press through a colander
Return to the liquor and add one teaspoon
full of butter and one of -four rubbed
smooth in little cold milk. Stir over the
hot fire until the mixture boils and is
smooth. then add one pint each of milk and
md rnptf inn csff fnc/ he univ
ture reaches the boiling point. Season with
salt, pepper, dash of cayenne and a table
spoonful of mushroom catsup. Serve very
hot.
Mushrooms la Mattre d Hotel.-For this
entree Tor luncheon or dinner choose large
nushroo ms which are perfectly fresh and
white. Wash and dry them, then peel and
cut off the stalks ImEaerse them in melted
butter olive oil and let them stand for
half an hour. Then sprinkle lightly with
salt and pepper and arrange them on wire
broiler. Place over a clear fire and cook
slowly for about fifteen minutes, turning
from eide to side every little while. While
tender, lemove from the broiler, place on
rounds OF buttcred toast and serve with
n,aitre hotel sauce.
To make the sauce beat two tablespoon
fuls Of butter to a cream, add slowly one
tablespoonful of lemon Juice. q quarter Of
u teasLoonful OF salt. a dash Of pepper and
a tablespoonful Of chopped parsley. spread
oven until melted. Serve very hot.
Stuffed Mushrooms.--From one pound of
mushrooms select eight OF the largest, peel
and set aside. Peel the remainder. chop very
fine and add a tablespoonful of bread
crumbs. two trufties. also chopped fine; salt
and pepper to taste, and little butter. Cut
the stem Of the larger mushrooms close to
the cups and fill the latter with the mix
ture. Put one tablespoonful of butter in
a frying pan, and when hot. carefully lay
the mushrooms in the pan and fry for
twenty minutes. Then dish on rounds of
toast. Add tho remainder of the stufflng to
the butter and cook for ten minutes Add
cupful CT rich cream; stir until the sauce
bols again. then pour Off the whole mush-
rooms and serve at once.
Mushroom Patties-For six shells allow
half a pound of mushrooms. Wash and
peel them and cut into slices. Cook one
tablespoonful Of butter and one Of -four to-
gether in a saucepan until well blended;
then add half a cupful of white stock and
half a cupful of cream and stir together
until perfectly smooth. Add the mush-
rooms and stir slowly for fifteen minutes
Season with teaspoonful of lemon juice
a grating of nutmeg and cayenne pepper
to taste. Heat the patty shells In the oven,
fill with the mixture, pour any that may
remain around them and serve smoking
hot.
Mushrooms a la Creme.-Peel and wash
halves Place one ounce Of butter in
porcelain-lined stewpan and when hot add
the mushrooms; cover tightly and stew
over a moderate fire for six minutes. Then
add two tablespoonful OF veloute and one
half cupful Of sweet cream; stew for five
minutes longer and serve very hot on
platter garnished with heart-shaped crou-
tons.
To make the sauce cook one tablespoon
full Of butter and one Sof -four, without
browning, and add ene, and half cupfuls
of white stock q grating Of nutmeg, cay
enne and salt to taste. and half bay leaf.
Stir until the mixtdre Is perfectly smooth
and the boiling point is-reached. Remove
to the back OF the fire. stew for twenty
minutes, then strain through fine sieve.
To prepare the croutons, cut crustless bread
into heart sha pes with SaNbiseuit cutter and
fry in smoking fat.
Mushrooms with Heefsteak-while vari-
Gus species of MUSHROOMS are used for
serving with beefseak: there is one in
particular. commonlT known as the beef
steak mushroom. which Is particularly pal
atable with q thick. Juicy steak It grows
on chestnut trees, makes its initial appear
ance In August and blooms until frost.
After removing the upper skin and the
snores the mushroom Is cut into strips