written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane
“I thought you’d never get here!” a booming voice exclaimed through my driver-side window as I pulled into the parking area. “I’ve been waiting for thirty minutes!”
The voice was that of my brother-in-law, Pete. Pete and my sister Kaari live near Portland, and I live in Bend, so we’d arranged to meet about midway, at my secret/not-so-secret spot for finding chanterelle mushrooms.
Pete, a retired army nurse, is adept at hunting and fishing, and for years I have been threatening to add foraging to his set of skills.
I pulled out my field guide and showed him what we were looking for: Cantharellus formosus, the Pacific golden chanterelle, Oregon’s official state mushroom, and in my opinion the most delicious edible mushroom.
After a mile walk, we came upon the place—a large stand of Douglas fir, spruce and hemlock casting long shadows in the bright, midday September sun.
“Just keep looking at the ground,” I said to Pete as we slowly moved through the lush forest.
It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but soon the yellow-white mushrooms pushing up the soil became easier to spot. I quickly had more of these mycological treasures than I could carry. Before I knew it, an hour had passed. “How are you doing?” I called over to Pete.
“I need another bag!” he replied while chuckling.
As we sat on a log and enjoyed our lunch, we talked about how we would use them.
“Risotto? Pasta? Scrambled eggs? On toast?” he proposed.
“All of the above!” I replied.
Here is a recipe for a chanterelle sauté that can be used for many things—risotto, pasta, scrambled eggs, toast and more. It can even be frozen for future use, thus extending the enjoyability of these delicious mushrooms.
Chanterelle Sauté
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned, quartered, rough ends removed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Pinch black pepper
- Optional: Herbs of your choice
Instructions:
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. When hot, add shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes or until translucent. Turn down the heat if the shallots start to brown.
- Add garlic to the shallots, and cook for another minute or until fragrant. Set the mixture aside on a plate. Add a little more olive oil if the pan is dry.
- Add chanterelle mushrooms and salt. Try not to disturb or stir the mushrooms too much.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a little olive oil during that time if they look dry.
- Turn down the heat to low, and finish the chanterelles with butter, cooking them another 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked shallots and garlic back into the mushrooms and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- At this time, add any herbs that you wish. I recommend a ½ teaspoon of finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary.
Chef’s notes: This Chanterelle Sauté can be enjoyed in so many ways. My favorite is to put a generous spoonful on a piece of toasted sourdough and top it with grated pecorino romano cheese.
To freeze, divide sautéed chanterelles in the cups of a muffin tin and freeze. After frozen, pop them out and keep in a zip-top bag in the freezer. Pull out just what you need, when you need it.
