Our woods provide us with ample oyster mushrooms. Many, many pounds of them every year. Right now, we are getting huge flushes of Aspen Oysters, far more than we can manage to eat fresh, so we dry the ones we can’t eat right away. (Why yes, we do sell fresh ones to local customers. Call us if you’d like some! They are coming fast and furious right now.)
Oysters have a very delicate flavor and it’s really easy to overpower them. I like them in omelettes with asparagus and a mild cheese. I like them in risotto. I like to make cream of mushrooms soup.
But my absolutely favorite dish is to combine them with scallops. There’s a similar slightly sweet, very delicate flavor to them both and every time we find a new flush, I’m tempted to rush off to buy scallops. Yum!
It’s a very simple dish. Sear the scallops in a little neutral oil and butter. (I use lard.) Remove.
Then do the same with the mushrooms, leaving them to cook on one side until nicely browned, then do the other side.
Deglaze the pan with a good Gewürztraminer wine. (Again, that slightly sweet wine is a great compliment to the scallops and oyster mushroom.) (I sometimes add some chanterelle mushrooms, but not too many, because I want the oyster mushrooms to be the star.)
Add back the scallops and any liquid.
I let the wine reduce by half, then add a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken.
I sometimes serve this on homemade egg noodles or serve with a mushroom risotto.
Lisa, I’ve never cooked with mushrooms. They are a delicate simmer or saute kind of food. My cooking seems to always turn out a little harsher than delicate. Mine is more like boil the corn, mash them taters, and grill the beef. That’s not to say that I can definitely enjoy delicate tasting food but it just isn’t the way I cook. Grill it, bake it, microwave it, or crockpot it is ok but saute or stir fry is not so much. I guess that constant motion and attention is just not in my nature.
Have a great cooking day.
Sounds delish, will have to try. Thanks.