Wild Mushrooms and Contests=Cooking Love

     So...food. Good food. Healthy, delicious food. Where to Start? I recently rediscovered an interest in cooking through a few different means... Wild foraging mushrooms and plants is one, submitting to cooking contests is the other.

     When it comes to hunting mushrooms, the addictive nature of this hobby is undeniable. Finding your first morel is a heart-skipping moment. But once you bring home your bounty, what's next? A gourmet mushroom is like a fine bottle of wine. It must be given a preparation worthy of it's ephemeral existence. Many mushrooms can only be found for a short time once a year, so enjoying them to their fullest and knowing how to save them is a big part of the hunting hobby.
      As far as the cooking contests go, they are a great opportunity to stretch your creative cooking skills and awaken that competitive spirit. Here's a good site that lists many current contests around the world. Contest Cook

      Recently, I submitted a burger recipe to the Mushroom Channel using shiitake mushrooms in place of meat and placed second! I couldn't believe it!. Swap it or Top it Contest The recipe is the one posted below. While, for this recipe I used shiitake mushrooms, other wild mushrooms such as Puffballs or Maitake could be used as well.
      Life is an adventure, cooking can be too!

Enjoy and Happy Hunting!

Italian Style Shiitake Pecan Burgers

Serving Size: 4 Burger Patties

Recipe Ingredients:

1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Toasted Pecans chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan shredded
Spring of Rosemary chopped fine
2 cups on diced Shiitake Mushrooms stems removed
2 tablespoon Diced Sun Dried Tomatoes (oil preserved)
½ tablespoon Tamari Soy Sauce
½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Olive, Walnut or Grapeseed oil
One Onion sliced fine

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar, pinch of Sugar, pinch of Salt

Recipe Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, toasted pecans, Parmesan, and rosemary.
2. Caramelize the onion in a skillet with olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar on medium/ low heat. Add to bowl with dry ingredients.
3. In
   the same pan the onions were in, cook the shiitake on medium/high heat until
   the mushroom liquid has been reabsorbed. Let cool and add to rest of
   ingredients.
4. Mix until evenly distributed. Stir in sun-dried
   tomatoes, tamari, Worcestershire and oil until consistency is moist
   enough to hold together. Add vegetable broth if additional moisture is
   needed.
5. Let sit for half an hour in the fridge.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Using a metal round, press out 4 equal patties.
8. Bake the patties at 400 Degrees for about 15 minutes or until the edges appear golden but not too dry.
9. Pepper after baked. Salt shouldn't be needed due to the tamari.
10. Serve on bun with ½ cup of arugula, mayonnaise, a few sun-dried tomatoes and/or more caramelized onions.