Mushrooms simply love warm and humid summers like this one. Those who go in search of them will now find a rich harvest in the forests. The richly coloured chanterelles are quickly prepared and with their peppery aroma they are delicious with pasta, for example as loved by foresters, with parsley and bacon.
The early bird catches the worm
I spent the summers of my childhood with my family in a house surrounded by woods. From an early age, we children had to learn about the forest. This included treating this natural environment with respect and differentiating between the different types of plants. However, I did not like looking for mushrooms because I knew that my grandmother would get me out of my bed at dawn to begin our search. After all, she wanted to be the first in the forest - and have lunch ready on time. Every time, though, while "hunting" in the forest, I quickly forgot how tired I was.
You have to take mushrooms seriously!
Nonna Nina used to say this sentence every time we went out on a mushroom "raid". Every mushroom was closely examined. She carefully cut the edible mushroom above the forest floor to keep the spores in the soil. Roughly cleaned, the mushroom was put into the basket. Even today I only take mushrooms I know well. With chanterelles there is, thank goodness, hardly any possibility of confusion. At home, the mushrooms are cleaned thoroughly once again. This is best done with a baking brush and a small knife.
The silver spoon in the mushroom ragout
With parsley and lots of garlic the mushrooms were then cooked on the wood stove. My grandmother was a true expert on mushrooms and preparing them. Some were boiled in water or put in vinegar to soften an unwanted taste. There was one thing that she would do with every mushroom dish: Nonna would hold a silver spoon in the pan. If the spoon somehow became tarnished, she said she would throw away the dish, because, despite being as careful as possible, a poisonous mushroom had found its way into her pan of good mushrooms. What Nonna told us about the silver spoon is a misconception. But we children felt so completely reassured and enjoyed grandmother’s mushrooms
📖 Recipe
Fusilli with chanterelles and bacon
Ingredients
- 320 g fusilli, or short pasta
- 400 g chanterelles, fresh
- olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch parsley, fresh
- 160 g bacon, in thin slices
- salt
- black pepper , from a mill
- thyme, or marjoram
- parmesan
Instructions
- Clean mushrooms with a brush and knife, rub stubborn dirt off with a damp kitchen towel. Work with as little water as possible, as the mushrooms could soak it up and no longer taste good. Then cut the chanterelles but not into too small pieces. Wash and dry parsley and chop finely.
- Sauté the mushrooms in a coated pan with some oil and two whole, pressed garlic cloves for about 10 minutes at medium heat. Towards the end, stir in a good half of the parsley and remove the garlic. Salt is only added to mushrooms at the very end of their preparation.
- In the meantime, cook the fusilli until al dente. Melt some butter in another pan and fry the bacon slices until crispy. Add the fusilli to the mushrooms in the pan and mix well. Now season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and thyme or marjoram leaves. Serve garnished with plenty of Parmesan and the crispy bacon.
Notes
Nutrition
Buon appetito!
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