Common Edible Mushrooms

COMMON EDIBLE MUSHROOMS
breaded and fried. This fungus greatly resembles the breast of
chicken in flavor when so prepared, and is perfection itself.
BEEFSTEAK FUNGUS (FISTULINA HEPATICA) *
The beefsteak fungus should be sliced across the grain and
soaked in salt water, the length of time varying with its age. The
slice should be wiped dry and boiled or fried, then dressed with
butter, salt, and pepper.
The fungus may be used raw for salad, dressed to suit the taste,
stewed, or .made into soup. The suggestion of its use as a foundation
for a beefsteak pie is apparently worthy of experiment, as its
resemblance to a good steak, in flavor if not in texture, is quite remarkable.
Drying Mushrooms *
Mushrooms may be preserved entire by drying them in the
sun or in an oven. All moisture must be removed before the material
is packed in a perfectly tight container. Mushrooms so preserved,
after a preliminary soaking in tepid water or milk, may be
cooked as if fresh.
Dried mushrooms, and even tough dried stems, may be ground
and used as a powder for seasoning gravies and other dishes.
* From the U.S.D.A. Bull. No. 796.
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