Secret maps and spots surround this mythical fungus. But Kalle Bergman doesn’t care. He just makes pasta with them.
By Kalle Bergman
Chanterelles. In Northern Europe, this wonderful fungus is worshiped like something almost mythical. Secret tricks and chanterelle maps are being handed down through generations to make sure that the best spots for picking these golden umbrellas are kept in the family.
I usually just fry chanterelles gently in some butter and serve them on toast – but for something a little bit more filling, a creamy pasta with some added wild mushrooms is a great option. Super easy to make, very well tasting, and quite beatiful to look at.
HOW TO
16 oz (450 g) pasta
6 oz (170 g) wild mushrooms
6 oz (170 g) chanterelles
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1,1 dl) cream
1 small knob of organic butter
A fistful of chopped parsly
Salt & Pepper
1. Clean and chop the mushrooms and chanterelles coarsley. Do NOT use water to clean them, but rather a brush to remove any dirt from them.
2. Melt the butter in a heated frying pan. Add the chanterelles and mushroom and cook for 3 minutes. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for another minute, before adding salt, pepper and cream. Leave on a low heat to let the cream reduce and boil into the fungus.
3. Boil the pasta according to instructions on the package.
4. Serve, topped with chopped parsley.
nice post. thanks.
I have a problem here – what IS the wild mushroom??? There are rules of engagement for staying safe. Only one new mushroom at a time to determine individual sensitivity. BTW – Chanterelles ARE wild mushrooms. So I am not sure what you mean, what you are recommending.
I think one has to be imaginative here when it comes to using other “wild” mushrooms along with the chanterelles … I would use a mushroom that complements the texture and flavor of the chanterelle….e.g. I would not use Porcini or Morels which would overpower the chanterelle flavor……I would probably use the “yellowfeet” or “belly button hedgehogs” cc
p.s. would like to see a comment from the Chef on his suggestions. cc
I think that your concept is interesting, but calling for ingredients that very few of us can find or afford, like Chanterelles, seems a bit elitest. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chanterelle for sale anywhere.
Simple, honest food needs to be accessible as well as delicious, don’t you think?
Hi Steve
Thanks a lot for your comment. Well, we try to promote local foods, and in many parts of the world Chanterelles are actually readily available in grocery stores during season. We realize that not everyone might have access to all ingredients in all our recipes, but we hope to inspire people to seek out new things.
We try to mix high and low at Honest Cooking, some of our recipes and stories are from high end restaurants that most people cannot afford – others are very cheap, accessible and simple. We believe that an inspiring mix of cheap, expensive, easy and difficult makes the website more dynamic and fun to read.
All the best
Kalle
We just gathered over 30 lbs of chantarelles – so in the Pacific NW they are plentiful.
I live near Carbondale, Colorado at 7,000 ft. Friends just brought me a huge bag of chanterelles they had picked. These are new to me and a delightful treat. They are the champagne of mushrooms. I am going to have them tonight in your recipe. The mushrooms I will cook with them are White Beech mushrooms, baby Portabellas, and white button. I happen to have these on hand and think a mix of wild and button will be fine. A happy fan, Thedora
I cooked this last night it’s great simple but the flavor is outstanding I used only the chanterelle mushrooms