♥︎Fregola Sarda with shimeji in lemon & tarragon sauce

For ➋ 

150 g fregola Sarda

2 garlic cloves

200-300 g shimeiji (or torn oyster mushroom)*

½ lemon, grated zest & juice

handful tarragon, chopped

1 spring onion, sliced ​​

handful sunflower seeds

olive oil

mushrooms* (optional)

feta** (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the fregola sarda until al dente in 8 m. Drain and cool under cold running water. Crush the garlic. Tear the oyster mushrooms into strips and slice the mushrooms. Wash the lemon well and grate the zest. Squeeze the juice from the lemon. Finely chop the tarragon. Cut the spring onions into rings. Roast the sunflower seeds in a non-stick pan without fat on a medium heat. Remove from the pan when they start to colour.

Heat the olive oil in the pan and fry the mushrooms and oyster mushrooms until golden brown and crispy in 5-7 m. Then add the garlic and fry for 2 m. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and stir in the lemon zest and half of the tarragon.

Put the fregola sarda in a bowl and stir in the rest of the finely chopped tarragon and the extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. [

Spoon the fried mushrooms on top*]. Sprinkle the roasted sunflower seeds on top. [Crumble the feta over it**]. Finish with the spring onions.

*If wanted, replace some with sliced ​​mushrooms

**If wanted.

Soba & shimeji

For ➍
200 g soba noodles*
10 cl oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
150 g shimeji mushrooms, base discarded, mushrooms separated
1 tbs soy sauce
2 ts miso paste
salt & pepper
2 tbs finely minced parsley

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over a low heat. Add the garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant, about 30 s.

Turn up the heat.

Add the shimeji mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are soft. Lower the heat. Add 1 tbs of noodles' cooking water, the soy sauce, and the miso paste. Stir until the miso is dissolved well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Leave the sauce to simmer.

Wash the noodles with cold water to remove the starch. Drain the noodles and add them to the sauce.

Stir well to coat every noodle. Serve with chopped parsley.

*Use spaghetti instead.

The shimeji mushrooms grow on the base of trees. They're very tasty, with a peppery flavor, but should not be served uncooked. They're great in stir-fries, or with fish, scallops or white meat. The pioppini mushroom is the European variety.
Read another shimeji recipe.

Japanese risotto with mushrooms & scallions

For ➋

80 cl water

1 tbs miso* 

1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil 

100 g sushi or other short-grain rice 

10 cl sake 

salt & freshly ground black pepper 

150 g enoki or shimeji mushrooms 

50 g chopped scallions 

25-50 g kaiware daikon sprouts**

2 tbs olive oil

Combine 1 tbs miso with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the stock. 

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice, stirring constantly in one direction, until well coated. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sake. Return to the heat and stir constantly in one direction until all of the liquid is absorbed. 

Add the stock in 10 cl increments, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed with each addition (about 12-15 m)***.   Season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile stir-fry the mushrooms and scallions in 1 tbs of oil. (about 5 m). Add some mirin if you want. The last 2 m add the sprouts.

Spoon into serving bowls. Garnish with the mushrooms, scallions, and sprouts and serve.

*or vegetal stock

**or sliced daikon

***or pour the warm miso stock on the rice, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and let cook on moderate heat for 12-15 m.

Read tip on risotto making.

Japan style risotto

For ➍

1 tbs sesame oil

300 g sushi rice, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped

2 scallions, cut into thin rings, keep white & green parts separately

4 tbs white miso paste

50 g butter

400 g mixed Asian mushrooms, such as shiitake **, shimeji *** (beech mushroom) and enoki **** / *

50 g young spinach (optional) *

sesame seeds, toasted

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the sushi rice, garlic and the white parts of the scallions 1 m while stirring until the rice grains are coated with oil. Spoon the rice mixture into a pan / wok with a lid.

Beat the miso paste with 75 cl of boiling water until the miso is completely dissolved and pour the liquid into the rice. Boil 10-15 m

Melt 20 g of butter in the frying pan over medium heat. Fry the Asian mushrooms 3 m until they are slightly softer. Stir them, put the lid on. Cook for 5 m over low heat, or until the mushrooms are al dente soft. *****

Stir the remaining butter into the baby spinach. Cook for 5 m with the rice. Add if necessary. extra liquid.

Let the rice rest for 1 m. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Sprinkle the green parts of the scallions and toasted sesame seeds over the risotto.

* use other vegetables, such as pumpkin and snow peas

** the stems removed and the hat cut into slices

*** base removed and brushed

**** cut into thick vertical slices

***** otherwise: add the mushrooms to the risotto and cook for 5 m 

Read tip on risotto making.

Kinoko takikomi gohan (Japanese mushroom rice)

For ➏
600 g (3 cups) Japanese premium short-grain rice (or substitute with brown rice)
70 cl (3 cups) dashi stock (substitute with 3 cups water mixed with 1 ts dried bonito dashi powder)*
3 tbs soy sauce (shoyu)
2 tbs mirin
1 tbs cooking sake
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
15 cl (1 cup) water (for reconstituting dried shiitake mushrooms; this reserve liquid is to be combined with the dashi stock)
100 g (½ cup) of fresh mixed mushrooms (shimeji mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, and hiratake mushrooms)

Wash and rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and set aside in rice cooker**.
Rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms in 15 cl water for 30-60 m. Remove shiitake mushrooms and squeeze excess water from them.
Reserve the soaking liquid.
Slice rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and either slice or break apart fresh mushrooms with your hands into large bite-sized pieces.
Add soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the washed rice in the rice cooker**.
Add reserved shiitake liquid to a large measuring cup. Add water to the reserved shiitake liquid until a total of 3 cups is measured. Otherwise, measure a total of 3 cups of liquid, combining the reserved shiitake liquid and water.
Add 1 ts dried bonito dashi powder (or konbu dashi) and dissolve the powder with the water and reserved shiitake liquid mixture to make a dashi stock.
Add this combined dashi stock to the rice cooker to make 3 cups of liquid according to the measuring guide indicated within the inner bowl of your rice cooker**. If more liquid is needed to meet the 3-cup marker indicated on the inner rice cooker bowl, add water.
Add dried shiitake slices and fresh mushroom mixture to the rice. Gently incorporate all of the ingredients. Steam the rice according to the instructions provided with your rice cooker**.
After the rice is steamed, allow it to rest in the rice cooker** for 10 m.
Gently mix the rice and serve.

*Substitute katsuo (bonito fish) dashi with konbu (kelp) dashi for a vegan dish.
**Steam the rice on a stove-top instead. Use same volume of rice and liquid (like 1½ cup for 2-4 persons. 1½ cup uncooked rice will make 4½ cup steamed rice)
[optional]: rinse the rice in 2 or 3 changes of water until it runs clear and not milky. It will make the rice less sticky.
[optional]: soak the rice for at least 30 m to give it a softer texture.
Add the rice to the pan.
Either use your hand or gently shake the pan to make sure the rice level is even.
Start by adding the same volume of water/liquid. Then place your middle finger on top of the rice and continue adding water until it just reaches just to the first knuckle of your middle finger.
Bring the water to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. You want to see bubbles gently forming around the edges of the pot.
Cover, turn the heat down to low, and let the rice simmer for about 20-22 m, until all the water is absorbed and the grains are soft.
Turn the heat off. Leave the pot on the burner and let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 m.
Fluff and serve.

Or combine the rice with Japanese mushroom recipes like salted mushrooms an/or shimeji.

Salmon fillet with beech mushrooms & green risotto

For ➍ 

150 g white & 150 g brown beech mushrooms (shimeji mushrooms) 

4 pieces  salmon with skin

300 g risotto rice

1 l stock

1 tsp turmeric 

100 g frozen peas 

1 bunch parsley or chervil, finely chopped 

2 tbs ground Parmigiano 

1 shallot 

olive oil 

3 lumps butter 

1 onion, cut 

5 cloves of garlic, sliced 

Fry the onion and 2 cloves of garlic in the oil for a few m. Add the rice and make sure it is well mixed with the oil. Extinguish with a dash of wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Add the stock, pepper and turmeric and simmer under the lid over a low heat for 15 m. Add the frozen peas and let it cook for a further 5 m. Add the finely chopped parsley or chervil along with the cheese and the knob of butter to the rice, heat well and season if necessary. 

Cut the feet of the beech mushrooms because they are tough, but use the stems. Heat the oil and fry the shallot and 3 cloves of garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 m. Add pepper and salt.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the oil with the butter and fry the salmon skin side down in the pan for a few m. Brown the salmon briefly and firmly on the other side. The salmon can still be pink on the inside, but salmon that has been baked for too long is dry. 

Spoon rice in a deep plate, then dress the salmon and mushrooms. Finish with parsley, chervil and possibly violets.

Tagliatelle with dill & mushrooms

For ➋ 

25 g dill 

125 g grated Parmigiano 

25 cl whipped cream 

200 g king oyster mushroom* 

150 g brown shimeji or other small mushrooms* 

30 g chanterelles or other wild mushrooms* 

30 g butter 

3 tbs olive oil 

250 g tagliatelle or fettucine 

Chop the dill and Parmigiano into a fine crumb in a blender or food processor. Pour into a pan, add the cream and bring to the boil while stirring until the cheese has melted. Cover the pan, remove from heat and set aside. 

Cut the oyster mushrooms into 3 mm thick pieces. Clean the other mushrooms and remove the feet. Melt the butter in a shallow pan over medium heat. Fry the king oyster mushroom in 3-4 m until done, add the remaining mushrooms and fry for another 3 m. 

Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, add generous salt and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and return to the pan and toss in the cream, herbs and cheese mixture, followed by the fried mushrooms. 

Divide the dish between two plates. 

* Use any kind of mushrooms you have on hand. Chestnut and small white mushrooms are also fine. Divide the dish between two plates.

Scallops & shimeji

For ➋
2 packs white shimeji mushrooms
6 sea scallops
1 tbs oil
2 ts Japanese mirin
2 tbs of butter
salt & pepper
spicy cream sauce

Pat the scallops dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tbs of oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Sear the scallops for 3-5 m until both sides of the scallops turn golden brown. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbs of butter and sauté the buna shimeji mushrooms lightly. Add 2 tsp of mirin and salt to taste and stir well. Dish up the mushrooms in equal proportion onto 2 serving plates.

Arrange 3 seared scallops on top of the mushrooms on each plate. Add some spicy cream sauce on the plate.

Garnish with parsley and chopped chives.

Serve with a glass of champagne or white wine.

Read another shimeji recipe and some background information on shimeji mushrooms.

Read tip on cooking frozen scallops.