St. George’s Breakfast
Just up the road from my house is a grassy bank. On that bank is a couple of rings of dark grass. This is a sure sign of fungal activity! I’ve been watching them for a while now hoping they would bring forth the St. George’s mushroom (Calocybe gambosa). They could easily have brought forth Fairy Ring Mushrooms (Marasmiun oreades) or something more sinister like the Clytocybes. Luck would have it they were St. George’s so I collected a good amount early Sunday 27th April 2009 and brought them back for breakfast. And the same again on the 16th April 2010.
The St. George’s mushroom is found traditionally around St. George’s Day (23rd April) but are usually found in May. This year they were the earliest I’ve seen. They are a lovely mushroom with a strong smell of meal. The flavour when cooked is mild and the flesh firm. They must be cooked as they are indigestible raw.
This is so simple a dish that a list of ingredients is not needed. Cook what you think is enough for you.
First clean the mushrooms. Don’t wash them if you can help it as they absorb water easily and you should try to collect them on a dry day. I find scraping with a knife removes most debris. Chop in half or in quarters if they are large. Take some chives (or in this case some garlic leaves) and chop finely. Grate some strong Cheddar cheese. Heat a knob of butter in a none stick frying pan and throw in the mushrooms. Fry till they are browning. Then you can do either of two things: 1) Place to one side on a plate and keep warm. Break three of four eggs into a bowl and mix up with a fork and add some grated cheese to taste. Butter the frying pan and pour in the egg mixture. Mix the cooking egg with a wooden spoon whilst putting on some toast. Serve as the photo above, sprinkling over the chopped chives and season. Or: 2) Pour the egg mixture over the mushrooms and leave to make an omelette.
This is not a field guide so get to know your fungi before you go cooking them
Last Upgated:
Saturday, 17 April 2010
