Shiitake Mushrooms

      Hi, my name is Shiyrah.  I am the wife of the Mushroom man who is also known as the Shiitake guy or Mr. fungi (fun guy).  I just call him Honey. My honey loves to eat and I love to cook. So I cook and he eats. And everyone is happy. We have recently moved to Alabama and we really like it! This is our son Cian at the Montevallo Farmers Market. We are setting up to sell Shiitake mushrooms. Yes, we sell mushrooms! My Husband Charles has been growing Shiitake mushrooms for 9 years. The Shiitake Mushroom is a gourmet mushroom that is known for its medicinal qualities. It has a rich, smoky flavor that will tantalize your taste buds. I often use Shiitake's in place of meat. For example, the other night I was making spaghetti alla carbonara which has pancetta or bacon in it. I found a recipe for shiitake bacon and decided to try it. I used 3/4 tsp liquid smoke, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 Tb olive oil, and about 2 cups of sliced shiitakes.  I marinated them for about 20 minutes, then put them on a cookie sheet in the oven to bake. After about 15 minutes I turned them over and baked them till they where crisp. I added the shiitake bacon to the spaghetti alla carbonara and asked myself, "Who will notice?" Well,  my carnivores did notice, but you can't blame me for trying. Here is the recipe. Bon appetit!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 Tb olive oil

2 shallots, chopped fine

8 oz shiitake bacon

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 lb spaghetti (I prefer angel hair)

4 large eggs 

1 cup of freshly grated pecorino cheese 

some fresh parsley for garnish 

freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Heat your olive oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and sauté till translucent. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in your shiitake bacon while you cook the pasta. When the pasta is cooked drain it and add it to the skillet and place it back over medium high heat. Add the eggs, cheese, and black pepper and cook stirring vigorously until the pasta is well coated and creamy. "Buon cibo!"

Markets we will be at for the month of July:
Montevallo     July 1
Pepper place  July 6
Valleydale      July 13
Montevallo     July 15
Pepper place  July 27
Montevallo     July 29