August is wild mushroom month in Colorado. The Colorado Mycological Society’s annual mushroom fair, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Denver Botanic Gardens, includes displays of local mushrooms and a kids’ corner. Adult admission, $8.50 (members free) 1005 York St., 720-865-3585, botanicgardens.org. Myocological Society, cmsweb.org.
After our snowy winter and wet spring, mushrooms abound in the mountains. Three events include guided forays to introduce mushroom lovers to the mysteries of wild mushrooms. Participants steep themselves in mushroom identification, cultivation, cooking and nutrition.
Telluride’s 25th annual Telluride Mushroom Festival, which is becoming increasingly more culinary in nature, and the Crested Butte Mushroom Festival both take place Aug. 18-21.
Five Telluride restaurants will cooperate on a mushroom-laden kick-off feast Aug. 17. $100, 970-728-3041, tellurideticket.com.
Daily mushroom forays, a local chefs’ mushroom cook-off, lectures and workshops covering edible, medicinal, poisonous and psychoactive fungi highlight the festival. The Saturday afternoon mushroom-themed parade is free. Admission to everything else is $295, 303-296-9359, shroomfestival.com.
The Crested Butte Wild Mushroom Festival likes to say it “puts the fun back into fungus.” To that end, it hosts forays, mushroom identification workshops, wine/mushroom tastings and luncheons; $89.95 covers the main conference and many workshops and forays. Admission to individual components runs $25-$29.50, 970-349-7119, crested-butte-wild-mushroom-festival.com.
Buena Vista’s King Boletus Mushroom Festival Aug. 20-21 features an intro to mycology, group mushroom hunts with mushroom cookery on the spot and a wine and cheese reception, $65, buenavistaheritage.org/mushroomfest.html. 719-395-8458.
-Claire Walter, Special to The Denver Post
Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Couscous
Couscous is a mildly nutty-tasting grain that comes from northern Africa. It makes a great stuffing, especially for a small cavity like a mushroom, because it’s so moist. When the stuffed mushrooms are baked, the full flavors of the couscous and the mushrooms really come through. From “The Healthy Kitchen: Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit,” by Dr. Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley, makes 12 mushroom caps to serve 6.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons natural soy sauce (such as tamari)
1 cup white wine
12 medium small-capped mushrooms, washed and stems removed
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock or purified water
1/4 cup couscous
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and roast them for 5 minutes, just until they turn slightly more brown. Pour them into a small bowl.
Set a large sauce pan with olive oil over low heat for less than 1 minute. Drop in garlic and shallots. Add soy sauce, wine, and mushrooms and simmer covered until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to shake mushrooms so that cooking liquid falls back into pan, then transfer drained mushrooms to a baking dish, arranging them hollow side up. Reserve liquid in pan.
Cook couscous by bringing vegetable stock or water to a boil in a separate pot.
Pour in couscous, lower heat, and simmer covered 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. All liquid should be absorbed. Now, dump couscous into saucepan with reserved liquid, cover, and cook over low heat until all liquid is absorbed.
Lightly salt and pepper mushroom caps. Finish the stuffing by mixing nuts, herbs and Parmesan cheese into cooked couscous. Using a tablespoon, pile a small mound of filling inside the cap of each mushroom. Bake 10 minutes or until stuffing is lightly browned on top.
Per Serving: calories 106.9, fat 5.7g, saturated fat 0.9g, (53.4% of calories from fat), protein 2.6g, carbohydrate 9.6g, cholesterol 1mg, fiber 1g
Mushroom Marsala Soup
Maggiano’s Little Italy serves this fragrant, creamy soup in the fall and winter months. Although it’s not on the menu now, it will return in October. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 pounds sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons chicken base (such as Better Than Bouillon) or 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups marsala Wine
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and sauté onions until clear. Add mushrooms, increase heat to high and sauté mushrooms until golden brown. Add garlic and sauté until soft, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add flour and thyme, and stir 2-3 minutes, add marsala wine, stir and reduce liquid by half.
Add chicken base or bouillon cubes, simmer 15 minutes. Add cream, bring back to a simmer and correct seasoning with salt and pepper.
