Hello friends of the Hive realm.
Today I am sharing my rare experience of cooking and eating a puff ball mushroom.
Last week I journeyed to the big farmers market which I don't often do. I know of a stand that sells the more rare mushrooms. Lions mane, oysters, chanterelles, hen of the woods, etc.
This time I was drawn to a mushroom that I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would set eyes on, let alone have the opportunity to purchase and eat.
Calvatia gigantea known as the "puffball mushroom" can weigh up to fourty -something pounds. The one I purchased was around 800 grams.
When I picked it up I was surprised by the weight. I was expecting something lighter.
I asked the guy at the market, what it tasted like. He told me it was a little like some kind of cheese, I think something like gorgenzola, I don't remember. He also said it tasted a little like foie gras, which is made from goose liver. I haven't had that in over many decades.
He continued on with great enthusiasm, to describe the uses of the mushroom with ground beef. I appreciate good customer service,which is rare these days, so there was no way I would interrupt him from his detailed recipe ideas. I would not end his speech by telling him, that I don't eat animal products. Instead I thanked him for the ideas and purchased a medium sized puff ball mushroom. Well, medium compared to what he had.
Since it was so large, I decided to cut it into steaks and bread it.
This is a delicate mushroom to cut. It is quite soft, almost like bread. The market guy told me it will lose moisture. Before I breaded it, I thought it would be best to sear it in a pan.
With a tablespoon of vegan butter and a tablespoon of oil, I did my best to brown the steaks and get the excess moisture out.
It doesn't have the texture that I imagined. I thought it would be rubbery like a portobello but instead as it cooked, it became somewhat creamy.
It looked a little like bread. It was quite delicate so I broke one piece.
I was going for a "veal parmigiana" type of thing, but without the veal, and without the cheese. I didn't bother with vegan cheese either. After all the guy said it was cheese like.
I didn't have breadcrumbs so I dried some leftover bread in the air fryer, and ground it up in the blender.
For the wet mixture I used soy milk and Just egg an egg substitute made from mung beans. It's not easy to find and it's expensive, but I know one place that has it from time to time. If I didn't have this I would just use the soy milk. I added onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper to this wet mix.
Breaded puff ball mushroom
Puff ball mushroom around 800 grams (I forget the exact weight)
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups flour
4 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup egg substitute (optional)
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Coat the steak in flour.
Dip in wet mixture.
Coat in breadcrumbs. You all know the drill right?
Now it looks ready to fry.
But wait!
I can avoid frying this in a pan once more. I now have an air fryer!
I had threatened to get an air fryer for so long, a little like a joke. Marc said no way, a little like a joke. He told me it's just an oven and we have one. I explained that it is a convection oven and we don't have one.
After two years of this "joke", not a joke, I made the online purchase. I chose one of the top ones. A duel zone Ninja air fryer with two drawers. Go big or go home right?
Marc used it right away when I was at work and made crispy cauliflower and tofu. He was so proud of it and admitted that this was a good purchase. I haven't used the oven since.
I bought a little oil spray bottle and misted the steaks with the oil. I put it on the air fry setting at 400F and checked it after 5 minutes. I honestly don't remember how long I left it after that. Not long though, because it had already been cooked. I made sure it was golden and crispy on the outside and still tender on the inside.
I turns out that this mushroom stays quite soft no matter how long you cook it. I could be wrong if I try it again a different way.
I accompanied it with spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce.
Tomato sauce
One 28 oz can Italian tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1 small carrot
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mince the carrot and celery. Saute chopped onion then garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Add wine. Add tomatoes crushed by whatever method chosen. I used a masher. At the end of cooking it down for a good hour on simmer, I blended it in a blender until smooth the way I personally prefer it.
Alongside I had a simple saute of dandelion greens with onion, garlic, lemon juice and toasted walnuts. It was dandelion that was cultivated purchased at the store. This is more popular with Italian cuisine it seems. I like the bitter contrast with the sauce.
So what do I think of the puff ball mushroom?
It was mild. It did indeed resemble some kind of cheese but I can't pin point it. It also had some kind of mild grassy taste, which could be where the foie gras taste could come in. We all may interpret the taste differently.
Marc said he liked this the best of all mushrooms. I consider the price and say that it was not 35 dollars worth of fun for the palate. It was enjoyable no doubt. I would have it all the time if it didn't cost this much.
I have no problem paying this for Lion's mane or oyster mushrooms, which I like the texture of much more.
I have to say I am glad I could have the experience. It is a mushroom that I didn't expect to find ever in my lifetime.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day
