By Amy Traverso
May 24 2017
Caramelized shiitakes take on a meaty, slightly sweet flavor in this hearty mushroom salad.
Photo Credit : Amy TraversoLate last summer, while researching and planning food segments for Weekends with Yankee, we heard about a pair of recent Harvard grads growing shiitakes on a secret woodland farm on Martha’s Vineyard.
It seemed so unlikely. Shiitakes? On the Vineyard? But it turns out the climate of the Vineyard resembles that of the regions in Japan where the world’s best shiitakes are grown. And as vegetarians, MV Mycological’s Tucker Pforzheimer and Truman French saw this crop as a delicious and sustainable source of protein. They wanted to, as they put it, “bring differentiation to the commercial mushroom market,” showing people that there’s more to shiitakes than the sometimes-desiccated specimens you find at supermarkets.
So we headed out to their farm in Chilmark, in a spot so secluded that we lost all sense of direction as we wound through the woods on a series of dirt roads. Once we reached the farm, we watched the two inoculate oak logs with spores and set them aside to mature until the “flower” of a ripe shiitake springs forth months later.
Picked fresh off the logs, MV’s mushrooms were nutty, sweet, and complex, with a distinct umami savoriness. I asked Tucker and Turner how they liked to eat their shiitakes, and they offered this simple technique of pan-searing them and finishing them with a rice vinegar. These shiitakes are wonderful paired with radishes, goat cheese, and edamame in a hearty spring mushroom salad.
6 ounces fresh shiitake caps (from about 10 ounces whole shiitakes), cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons grape-seed or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 large radishes, very thinly sliced
1/3 cup shelled edamame
1/3 cup cold goat cheese crumbles
1 large head butter lettuce (also called Boston or Bibb lettuce), leaves separated
Get a large cast-iron skillet and a lid that covers all or most of the pan. Set the skillet, uncovered, over high heat. Turn on the exhaust fan above your stove. Let the skillet heat until it begins to smoke, then quickly add the oil and mushrooms; stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and crisp at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the rice vinegar and immediately cover the skillet to trap the steam. Cook for 10 seconds, then remove from heat and set aside.
Arrange lettuce in the bottom of a large shallow bowl, then top with radishes, edamame, and mushrooms. Sprinkle goat cheese over all.
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Shake well to combine. Serve alongside salad, or pour half the dressing over the top just before serving. Reserve the rest for later use.