I’m back after a short hiatus from blogging. Not that I’m out of town. It’s just that I’m a little hooked on my DS Lite. *grin*

Yes, we’re in a frenzy. Mushroom frenzy!

Some time back, Chipmon introduced me to Mycofarm Mushroom Farm. She got me really interested. I’ve only ate dried shitake mushrooms and canned button mushrooms my whole life. SM organized a steamboat session at her place so we bought some willow mushrooms and oyster mushrooms from Mycofarm. And the mushrooms didn’t disappoint me. They were really fresh and delicious.

Needless to say, B and I went back again to buy some for our pantry. Bought our favorite white button mushrooms and again the willow and oyster mushrooms. The only down side from buying direct from the farm is that they sell in large quantity.

These delicious fungi grow by attaching themselves to naturally decaying barks and soils and can be cultivated under controlled conditions. Gourmet mushrooms can be found in all supermarkets. But you probably get them with minor bruises. I mean, let’s face it. I am also guilty of going grocery shopping, pressing to test if they are fresh even if there isn’t a need. All the touching and pressing will not happen if you get them straight from the mushroom farm.

The myth about mushrooms, as having no nutritional value is absolutely incorrect. However, you can only gain its nutritional benefit upon cooking. Fresh mushrooms are of the high nutritional value of mushrooms, which are an excellent source of high quality, digestible protein greater than most vegetables and only slightly less than meat and milk. They are also high in low caloric dietary fiber, all the essential amino acids, and very low in calories and fat! Plus the goodness of vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin and ascorbic acid. Mushrooms are among the oldest examples of foods containing disease-fighting nutrients, for example, they have a very high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are thought to be helpful in reducing allergies, heart disease, cancer and aging effects.

Preparing the mushrooms
When cleaning fresh mushrooms, do not soak them in water as they will become soggy. To clean, just brush off the dirt from the mushrooms. If you have to, rinse them quickly under running water.

Storing them
Store mushrooms wrapped in kitchen towels before you put them into the plastic bag. A brown paper bag would be good. Do not put them in containers or plastic bags as the mushrooms will get in contact with water and turns soggy.

Ways to cook them
What I love about mushrooms is you can cook them in so many ways. Saute them with butter. Braise them with meat. Toss them with your favorite pasta (yes! my favorite). Oh, and how can you do without the lovely morning scramble eggs with mushrooms? Fry them with your daily veggies. Throw them into your hot soup. The possibilities are endless!

Pasta is kind of a staple lunch for me. It’s easy to prepare and cook. And you can mix them with so many types of ingredients, like meat, vegetables, seafood. It can be served as the main entrée or as a salad. I am getting abit sick of having a tomato-based pasta. I would love to have creamy ones, but it’s too rich for me. So I’ve been doing the simple fry-and-toss pasta. And of course, I’m gonna share one of my favorite pasta recipe.

You can use any pasta of your choice. Spaghetti, fusilli, penne.. etc. As for the mushrooms, any will do. But I prefer button mushrooms and shitake.

Butter Sautéed Mushroom Pasta
180g dried pasta
100g fresh mushrooms of your choice (I like it more, and mushrooms shrinks a lot after cooking)
½ medium size bell pepper (I am crazy over the red and yellow ones)
1 medium size tomato, diced
½ cup white cooking wine (optional)
50g butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tbsp dried parsley (if using fresh parsley, you can double the amount)

1. Cook pasta till al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside. You might want to toss them with some olive oil so that they won’t stick together.
2. Heat pan, and add the butter to melt.
3. Saute the garlic till fragrant or till they are slightly browned.
4. Add mushrooms and bell peppers and fry for about 2 to 3 mins.
5. Add white cooking wine and the reserved pasta water.
6. Add chilli flakes and parsley.
7. Add the tomatoes last.
8. Turn off the heat, throw in the pasta and toss quickly.
9. Serve on plate and add some parmesan cheese if you like.

Serves 2. More pasta recipes to come!