Chanterelle Mushrooms

This month was a great success for our little mushroom business. We not only have grown and sold Shiitake mushrooms, but just recently Charles and our son Cian have started to harvest Chanterelles.







Chanterelles are considered a gourmet mushroom with a beautiful gold color.They have a tubelike shape, with a flowery appearance.
The Shiitake guy (yeah, thats my fun guy) says they have a unique fruity flavor. I can't tell. I have made several dishes with these mushrooms and they all taste different to me.

Ingredients for Chicken Marsala

So before we sell these beauties, the Mushroom man is going to want me to make something with them. I did tell you he likes to eat, right? And we all know he LOVES mushrooms.
                                                         We were having company for the weekend, so I thought this would be a good time to make something different. I decided to make a Chicken Marsala. This is one of my Dad's favorite dishes. I used both Shiitakes and Chanterelles. The smoky, earthy flavor of the Shiitakes and the rich, fruity flavor of the Chanterelles made this dish a real hit. It  also made Pops (my Dad) happy.
 

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts

2 cups of mushrooms (Shiitake, Chanterelles)

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of Marsala ( I only use Marsala imported from Italy) I'm Italian. What can I say!

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste  (I use Natures Seasoning)

fresh parsley for garnish

Method:

1. Slice mushrooms and mince garlic.

2. Season both sides of the chicken breast.

3. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in 2 Tbs olive oil, set aside.

4. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Using tongs, lift chicken in and out of the oil to sear chicken and prevent it from sticking. Cook chicken just until golden and tender but not cooked through. 

5.  Add the mushrooms to the chicken

6.  Add the Marsala and the cream, reducing by half 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Transfer the chicken to a plate and top with the creamy mushroom Marsala sauce.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

               

               Chicken Marsala with Shiitake and Chanterelle Mushrooms

              

The Mushroom Man and Mala at Pepper Place Market

Our friend Mala came down from Tennessee for a visit and decided to join us at the market. It was a good thing she did because we were so busy. We sold out by 10:30. It was a lot of fun watching her in action. We had a great time! Oh, did I mention we sell Shiitake logs?  It's a great hobby for anyone who has the time. People are amazed that you can grow mushrooms in logs. We grow ours in Oak and Sweet Gum. It is definitely a process and takes dedication. I have watched my Shiitake guy do this for 9 years. He not only has a green thumb but he is very in tune to his mushrooms.


The Markets we will be at in August:

August 10 Pepper Place
August 17 Valleydale
August 24 Pepper Place

 

Hope to see you there!