Oyster Oyster are smooth, trumpet shaped and have a light flavor. Though the color fades when cooked, oyster mushrooms can be yellow, pink or blue. Oyster mushrooms pair well with fish, seafood, poultry and red meat and are delicious simply sautéed or roasted whole.

Agaricus (White or Button) White button are the most common and least expensive mushrooms to appear on grocery store shelves. They have a mild taste and can be used in just about anything from salads to sauces. Button flavor intensifies when cooked, making them ideal for sautéing and grilling. Portabella A grown-up crimini, portabellas are large, firm and have a meaty taste and texture. With its steak-like texture, grilled Porcini portabellas make a satisfying Porcini mushrooms are reddish brown vegan “burger.” Sauté, broil or in appearance. Porcinis are some of the roast portabellas and enjoy in most sought-after wild mushrooms for fajitas, as a pizza topping or their distinct earthy, nutty flavor. chopped into a hearty ragout. To Less expensive dried porcini can prevent discoloration, remove the be reconstituted and used black gills before sautéing. to add robust flavor to sauces, soups, stews

and stuffing. Shiitake Shiitake mushrooms were originally Try them in a cultivated in China and Japan. Like classic Italian portabellas, shiitakes have a meaty risotto. texture. Cooking brings out their earthy, smoky flavor. With the tough stem removed, try shiitakes sautéed or add to stir-fries, soups or dishes. For more intense flavor, try dried shiitakes in your recipes. Crimini (Italian Brown) Crimini look similar to the white button, but are a little darker in color and have an earthier, stronger taste. They’re actually a young portabella and are sometimes called ealthy, versatile “baby bellas.” Criminis are good eaten raw, mushrooms are an roasted or sautéed. Pair with garlic, or balsamic vinegar for the best flavor. excellent addition to your plate. Mushrooms Himpart a fifth taste sense called , which is savory. Hearty meat-like mushrooms are an economical and nutritious way to enhance any meal. Chanterelles One of the most commonly Mushrooms are low in calories (one harvested mushrooms in cup of raw sliced mushrooms has the Pacific Northwest, about 20 calories) and high in chanterelles are funnel- and minerals. A source of potassium, or trumpet-shaped mushrooms can provide selenium mushrooms with a and copper, depending on the variety. fruity, apricot-like aroma and mild, peppery taste. They have three B-complex vitamins: Most are yellow or orange. riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, Chanterelles pair well with herbs which help release energy from the , like chives and tarragon, are and in food. delicious sautéed or roasted and Mushrooms also can be excellent sources are a good substitute for pricier of D if they have been exposed morel mushrooms. to light right before or after harvesting.

Mushrooms provide plenty of opportunity

Morel in the kitchen. This is one vegetable you’re Its honeycomb-like shape and intense, better off cooking as it releases more of deep woods flavor add the nutrients. Try grilling, stir-frying and to the morel mystique. sautéing to limit fat. Varying in color from Choose mushrooms with a firm texture, light yellow to even color and tightly closed caps. They dark brown, can be refrigerated in a paper bag for up fresh morels are available to one week, but they’re best used within (and hunted) in a few days. Before preparing them, brush spring and summer. mushrooms off with your finger then Accessible year- Enoki or Enokitak rinse and pat dry with a paper towel round, dried morels are Enoki mushrooms are often used in (do not soak them). Some mushrooms, full of flavor and much less Asian cuisine (particularly soups). They are long like shiitakes, should have their stems expensive than the fresh stemmed, white and have a delicate flavor and a trimmed before cooking. variety. Cook before eating slight crunch. Trim off the root end of the cluster by sautéing, stuffing or and separate the mushrooms before serving. simmering morels to create Enokis add crunch to salads and sandwiches, There are more than 2,000 varieties of flavorful sauces. and mild flavor to soups and stir-fries. edible mushrooms in all shapes, sizes and textures, but never eat mushrooms in the wild that you don’t know are safe — some are poisonous.

Taste of Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, is a consultant based in Atlanta and teaches the Earth nutrition at State University. By Marisa Moore | Photography by Chris Cassidy

JULY/AUGUST 2013 • FoodandNutrition.org 17