How I Cook Chanterelle Mushrooms

Only trained people know which mushrooms are safe to eat, so if you haven't been trained, buy your chanterelles from a market or licensed seller. Never taste, cook, or eat any wild mushroom that is not 100 percent identified by a qualified human. The Internet and books are not 100 percent trustworthy; "how it looks" is not a 100 percent ID. Cook all mushrooms before eating. Even the choicest mushrooms, when raw, contain hard-to-digest compounds and don't taste good; those compounds can evaporate with cooking. You already know that even everyday "button" mushrooms don't taste good raw. Here's how I cook chanterelles:

1. Obtain 1 pound of chanterelles. They should be firm and cheddar-yellow. Don't refrigerate them; they're not cold-weather fungi like store-bought button mushrooms.

2. Gently rinse with cold running water any soil, grass, or bugs from chanterelles; scissor off any tough, brown, or bug-eaten stems. You don't need to get every dark speck off every mushroom.
3. Allow the cleaned mushrooms to dry for a while on a towel.

 4. Tear the mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Discard any remaining tough stems.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the mushrooms. Stir to coat them with the oil and let them cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until they are cooked through, and all the water cooks out.
Add salt and pepper if desired, to taste.

Chanterelles are good in omelets, quiches, soups, and on pizza, but they must be cooked before adding them to any recipe.
When cooked, they may be put in covered containers and refrigerated. Please note: Some people are allergic to all mushrooms. Rather than eat a bunch all at once, you and everyone who's joining you should take a small first bite.

Self-Crusting Quiche

Too lazy to roll out crusts and living too far from the store to buy them, I make:

Self-Crusting Quiche

1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
3 cups vegetables such as bell peppers, chopped broccoli, or mushrooms, cut into pieces
1 cup shredded good-quality Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1-1/2 cups milk (not skim)
3/4 cup biscuit mix (such as Bisquick)
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herbs to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or spray a 10-inch quiche pan or pie pan.
2. Saute onions in one tablespoon of  of butter until they begin to brown. Add the other tablespoon of butter, the vegetables, and saute until the vegetables soften and any liquid has evaporated.
3. Cover the bottom of the greased pan with the vegetables. Beat all the other ingredients together until they're smooth. Pour over the vegetables. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes and serve. Also tastes good at room temperature.

Creamy Zucchini-Corn Soup Recipe

I bought a huge zucchini for 50 cents and with a bag of frozen corn and half an onion made this quick fat-free recipe--no butter, oil, or cream yet tasting creamy and great. From The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook (2000).

Creamy Corn-and-Zucchini Soup (10 servings; recipe can be halved)

6 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced zucchini (about 2 large)
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
3/4 teaspoon salt (if the chicken broth isn't salted already)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
hot pepper sauce (red) (optional)

1. Bring broth to simmer in a large saucepan. Add zucchini and onion; cover and simer 2 minutes. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper, cover, and simmer 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. Put three cups at a time of the liquid in a blender and puree.
3. Reheat. Serve with optional hot sauce.