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News & Stories / Field Reports Colorado Mushrooms At the beginning of August, Peggy and I went camping in Colorado. We visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Mesa. Tony Dewey • October 1, 2011 Hefty specimens in Colorado, 2011. Photo by Tony and Peggy Dewey Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Writings Call for Entries: FFSC Poetry Contest Inspired by a poem by Michael Blumenthal, I thought that it might be fun to have an FFSC Mushroom poetry contest. Larry Payne • March 1, 2000 Cortinarius violaceovolvatus (Tasman, NZ). © Dean Lyons (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org, obs. 347719617) Now, since I haven't approved this with any of the other Ministers (in fact, they're learning about it at this very moment) I can't say whether there will be an official winner, or if anyone will actually win anything. But I can guarantee that all submissions will get published in the next Duff . To put you in the creative spirit, here's a little ditty I came up with. While munching Amanita velosa I thought "My God! What have I done!" I felt awfully sick, Thought I'd die really quick! But no, 'twas an allergic reaction. Sorry. True story. I know you can do better. Send me your poems. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC Poetry Contest Winners, May 2000 Writings Haikus Celebrating the Secret Life of Fungi Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Account of Todd Spanier's 15th Annual Winter Chef's Foray Hugh and Sandi Smith were the proud FFSC Fungus Fair Raffle winners for the 15th Annual Winter Chef ’s Foray led by Todd Spanier of King of Mushrooms. Hugh provided the following vignette of their weekend. Hugh Smith • April 1, 2010 Coastal Redwood. Photo by Hugh Smith Wow, was that the 15th Annual Winter Chef ’s Foray? I can’t imagine what the other 14 were like! This was the first one I attended though, so I wish I hadn’t missed the others. I hadn’t heard of it before, but Todd Spanier puts on this annual event ... every year. Three Januarys ago, Sandi and I entered the raffle at the FFSC 34th Fungus Fair. Todd had been more than generous to offer such a weekend of Hunting, Wining and Dining in the Anderson Valley. Pretty generous, Todd. All of us (you and me) are very busy of course, and Sandi and I weren’t able to collect on our prize until now. It was certainly worth the wait. We arrived at the Screaming Lizard Ranch (a private property) to meet up with everyone at the house where we would be staying. Sandi and I took the cabin away from the main house. There are Redwood, Oak, Fir, Pine, and many other types of trees on the 40 acres. Our bathroom was inside, but our shower was outside. Imagine me, in my outside shower, with hot running water, in the woods, naked ... OK, don’t. Hungry? We picked greens from the back yard for our salad. But the first thing I did when we arrived was to get out of the car and start the hunt. There is always something to find at this time of year. Lots of things! Exciting things! Gyromitra esculenta , Ganoderma applanatum , Craterellus cinereus , Phlogiotus helvelloides , Helvella compressa , and far too many other mushrooms to name here. Y’know, really great stuff. There were also Cantharellus californicus , Craterellus cornucopioides , Spring Coccora , Hydnum umbilicatum ... the usual. We went to the Yorkville Winery, Todd showed us a place where Oak Trees have been inoculated and French truffles are being propagated, and there’s a grove of virgin Coastal Redwoods (Hendy Woods). But the real treat came Saturday night. After a day of hunting, wine tasting, sack lunches and sunshine, we picked some more of our salad in the yard, had a campfire, and had some of the most awesome dishes created for us that I have ever tasted. Although Todd is a great chef in his own right (he was the head chef Friday night), he invited a man named Marc Vogel for Saturday night. Marc, I had no idea mushrooms could taste that good. I don’t really like mushrooms, y’know. I’d usually rather trade them for Chicken. It’s about the hunt, y’know? The discovery! But with cooking like that, I’m rethinking if I know what I have talked myself into, or out of. Could mushrooms really taste this great? That was a terrific weekend, Todd. Thank you very much! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Photography for ID Purposes When you can't bring in actual mushrooms for our taxonomists to ID, shown below are some tips on photographs and observations to send us, which will help the identifier answer your "what is this" question. Clitocybe odora. Photo by Christian Schwarz Perhaps you’ve noticed some mushrooms growing in your yard, or while you were on a hike? Maybe you were foraging for chanterelles and ended up with a few mystery mushrooms in your basket? Whatever you’ve found, our taxonomists will be happy to help you identify them, where possible. In the past few years, instead of bringing specimens to us in person, a growing number of people are taking cell phone photos for the purposes of mushroom identification. In general, it's more difficult for us to identify mushrooms solely from photographs. Often the taste, odor, staining reactions, tactile and/or other features and tests (as well as habitat details not visible in close-up photos) are often needed to correctly identify many species. Here are tips on how to take photographs for mushroom ID purposes, as well as observations to include with your photos. (These observations are also helpful when you bring certain specimens to us in person!) Photographs to Take in the Field When you first see a mushroom in the wild, even before you dig up the mushroom (or if you're in an area that doesn't permit collection), here are a few photos and observations to capture. Note: Your photos don't need to be beautiful. For identification, the more details we can see, the easier it will be for our taxonomists to identify distinguishing features. It may help if you support your camera on a tripod or a rock, or brace your body against something solid. Consider using a flash or a flashlight to illuminate darker areas if possible (without blowing out the image). If you'd like more tips on how to take better quality photos, check out our "Tem Tips for Taking Better Mushroom Photos" in our free FFSC Online Learning area. Show Us the Habitat Many mushrooms grow on or near specific trees or plants, at certain elevations, in certain temperatures, etc., or they tend to fruit at the same time as certain other plants. Take a few photos of what the mushroom is growing on, and the immediate area surrounding the mushroom(s), such as: The leaves, twigs, grass or dirt immediately surrounding it, or the log or tree (or leaf or bug) it's growing on Nearby trees (including burned or charred trees) One or two photos of the broader habitat, such as trees and plants in the general area Some mushrooms tend to fruit at the same time as certain other plants Snow flowers are a growth indicator for some mushrooms. Photo by Katherine Elvin Is the mushroom growing on a log, or on the ground? Photo by Dan Tischler Show us what it was growing on and surroundings. Photo by Katherine Elvin Tiny fungus on a leaf. Photo by Nick Wagner Forest after Kings Fire (2015). Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Examples of immediately surrounding and broader habitat Try to photograph multiple examples of the same mushroom species that are nearby (or look-alikes if you're not sure). Show different age groups (some old-looking ones, some young-looking ones, etc.) Various sizes. Found on an Albion Foray in 2014. Photo by Katherine Elvin Different sizes. Photo by Katherine Elvin Found in the Forest of Nisene Marks (2025, iPhone). Photo by Lisa Tesler Smaller mushrooms nearby that look similar (Nisene Marks, iPhone 2025). Photo by Lisa Tesler Show us nearby mushrooms that seem similar, of different sizes If you're in the area for a few days, another option is to photograph the same mushroom(s) over time to show how it ages. Day 1 - Laetiporus time lapse. Photo by Phil Carpenter Day 7 - Laetiporus time lapse. Photo by Phil Carpenter Day 9 - Laetiporus time lapse. Photo by Phil Carpenter Examples of the same mushrooms photographed over time Show Us Different Angles If you can't collect the mushroom, take close-up photos of it, and then move your camera to get shots of different sides of the mushroom. Set your camera on the ground to get low angles too. This helps our taxonomists examine the underside of the cap and the features of the stem. Show us the gills, if any. Fort Bragg (2021). Photo by Hugh Smith Low angle of a chicken roosting (Laetiporus gilbertsonii) Not all mushrooms have gills. Auriscalpium vulgare. Photo by Dan Tischler If the mushroom has gills, show us how they attach to the stem. (2021). Photo by Hugh Smith Certain features of the stem are identifying characteristics. (2025). Photo by Hugh Smith Not all mushrooms have gills. Boletus edulis. Photo by Hugh Smith Showing details of a stem. Photo by Lisa Tesler Low angles help the taxonomists see cap and stem features Show Us the Entire Mushroom If the area permits collection, dig up a specimen of the mushroom so that you can take photos of the entire mushroom. Take close-up photos (as clear/sharp as you can) showing: The whole top of the mushroom cap The bottom (underside) of the cap. Features of the stem, including the very bottom of the stem. Scratch or cut through the cap, to see if there are any color changes, and photograph what you see. Whole mushroom. Tricholoma murrillianum (magnivelare) (matsutake). Photo by Hugh Smith Bottom of cap, features of stem. Mendocino (2015). Photo by Katherine Elvin Top view of a Trametes betulina. Photo by Cass Fuentes Show Us the Mushroom's Size To help the identifier understand the size or dimensions of the mushroom, you can include another object, such as nearby pine needles, your shoe (keep it on), hand or fingers, or anything (or anyone) else with a recognizable size near the mushroom. (This can be done in the field or after collecting the specimen.) Hand holding a porcini (bolete), found on an Albion foray. Photo by Katherine Elvin Coccorras with a knife. Photo by Dan Tischler Show the relative size. Photo by Dan Tischler Bug showing the relative size of mushrooms (Nisene Marks, iPhone 2025). Photo by Lisa Tesler Use a recognizable object to show relative size. Photo by Dan Tischler Kitty with Coccoras Photos that convey the relative size of a mushroom Observations to Include with Your Photos Many county and government-managed parks and forests do not permit mushroom collection, or you'll need to buy a collecting permit. Be sure to check the location's policies before digging up any mushrooms. Take Detailed Notes If you're not able to collect a specimen (or it won't survive until you're able to bring it in), write down (or photograph) the following details while in the field, and include them when you send in your mushroom photos: The habitat where your mushroom is growing. Is the mushroom on wood or the ground? If on wood, what kind? What tree species is it growing on (or what’s nearby)? (Nowadays many naturalist apps, websites, and even your phone's AI can help you identify trees based on their leaves.) Write down any distinctive aroma you notice while the mushroom is fresh – “mushroomy” is NOT a good descriptor! Create a spore print if time permits. It's easy! The sooner you can start the process, the better. See Part III of our free Learn about Wild Mushroom Identification tutorial for how to create a spore print, or search the Internet for similar tips. Do not eat an unidentified mushroom. If a mushroom ID specialist asks you to taste a mushroom to help them ID it remotely, just take a tiny bite and then spit it out and do not swallow any of it. Some people also prefer to rinse their mouth after tasting a mushroom for ID purposes. Bring Specimens in Person if Possible The most reliable way for our advisors to identify a mushroom is to see, touch, smell, and potentially taste it in person. If you’re coming to an FFSC event in person, we recommend that you store your specimens in a loose, breathable container, such as paper or wax paper bags (not plastic or glassine bags). You can place them on an ID table in a wicker basket, cardboard egg crate, or on a paper plate. People often bring specimens to our Monthly Speaker events , which are free and open to the public, and to our annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair in January. Specimens in an egg crate at an FFSC event Specimen on wax paper. Photo by Lisa Tesler Underside caps and stems from specimens that a member brought to an FFSC monthly speaker event Some people bring mushrooms to FFSC events in a basket Some people bring mushrooms to our events on paper towels Photos of specimens in baskets, on paper, etc. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Savory Porcini Clafouti I learned this recipe from the late Larry Stickney, a phenomenal guy who was instrumental in creating a culture of mushrooming in the Bay Area. by Richard Rammer Bolete. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Method Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking dish or pie plate (about 1 ½ inches deep) with butter or olive oil. Sauté shallots in olive oil until transparent. Cool and reserve in bowl. Mix the batter ingredients in a blender and let rest in the fridge for an hour. The batter can be prepared up to a day in advance. In another pan, sauté the mushrooms in butter until lightly browned. Cool and combine with shallots. Combine the clafouti batter with the mushroom / shallot mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 1 hr. The clafouti will puff up in the oven but will sink a bit when taken out. Serve warm. Recipe contributed: March 2015 The adaptation transforms clafoutis, a traditional French dessert made with cherries, into a savory first course or entrée. Boletes may be switched for black trumpets, Agaricus species, or other robustly-flavored wild mushrooms. Objective: Main course Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Yield: Serves 6 Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 3 cups (about 1 lb.) bolete buttons, cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces ½ cup chopped shallots 1 ½ cup half & half or whole milk 3 eggs ⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to sprinkle on top 1 tsp grated lemon zest ½ tsp kosher salt Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Albion I 2008 Recap Sixty fungiphiles attended the North Coast Albion I foray December 5–7. We had blue skies, warm weather and a good variety of mushrooms, particularly given the fact that rain hadn’t fallen for a month. Deb • January 1, 2009 Albion I 2009 specimen tables. Photo by Debbie Johnson Many thanks to Douglas Smith for his many hours of photographing, identifying specimens and answering questions. Hugh Smith with a Mendocino County bolete. Don’t eat anything bigger than your head, Hugh — send it our way! (Photo by Hugh Smith) Edibles were found, but few in large quantities. Several species of boletes, Matsutake, Wine Agaricus made a number of people happy. FFSC members can login to view the complete species list below. Tidbits of Pigs Ears ( Gomphus clavatus ), Wine Agaricus ( Agaricus subrutilescens ), Beefsteak Fungus ( Fistulinga hepatica ), Hawk Wing ( Sarcodon imbricatus ) and Russula aeruginosa were sampled on Saturday night along with appetizers. My hands-down favorite was the R. aeruginosa . They have a well-rounded, nutty flavor, are firm without being crunchy, and they brown well. Dinner included soup, salads and a variety of outstanding main dishes with wild mushrooms, and, of course, dessert. Candy Cap ice cream was definitely the topper for dessert. The under-ten years-old crowd was well-represented and they seemed to be having a pretty good time. (See the fun pictures of the huge mushrooms they found, in the members-only section below!) The boys were certainly the most prolific Matustake hunters of the day! Facility renovations to add baths and showers to all cabins are complete, and the result is a rather La-Di-Da camp and no more cold trips to the bathhouse. The big surprise was the presence of stemware — yes! — in the kitchen and wine bottles brazenly on display! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up for Albion II or the All California Clubs Foray. They’re filling up quickly, so don’t delay! Debbie Johnson Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Species List — Albion II Foray 2009 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Fair News 2007 Fungus Fair — Thank You In spite of dry weather we had a good showing of fungi, with a total of 232 species represented. Chilly weather during setup kept the mushrooms fresh. Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Committee • March 1, 2007 33rd Santa Cruz Fungus Fair 2007 T-shirt The well-chilled human setup volunteers were quite pleased to have hot soup provided by Vernetta McGuire and Marilyn Diamond to keep them warm. In all, 60+ dedicated FFSC volunteers and 40 dedicated Museum volunteers and staff worked to setup, run and take down the fair. Always a popular Fair Exhibit. Photo by Catherine Campos Each year we marvel at how much time and effort go into setup and how quickly it all goes away at the end. This year’s teardown set a new record: in one hour and ten minutes it was all done and we were devouring Bob Wynn’s wonderful dinner of mushroom lasagne, quiche and salad! Thanks to all who helped, from picking mushrooms to setup, identifying, staffing tables, cleanup and compost-ing the mushrooms at the end. It would be impossible without you! I’m not naming everyone because, well, I lost my list in transition to a new computer and relying on my poor memory will ensure that someone is left out. But bear in mind that anonymous good deeds count for double credit in the universe! Exhibit at the 2007 Fair. Photo by Catherine Campos Attendance was a bit lower than usual, with about 150 attending the Friday night Members’ Reception and 2200 at the door Saturday and Sunday combined. Vernetta McGuire and the Museum Association put on a wonderful reception Friday night, with great food. Wine was a cut above the usual, with Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards pouring. Massimo Caporale of Gelato Massimo provided Candy Cap Gelato. Marilyn Fenn outdid herself in decorating the Louden Nelson hallway gallery. A few new features were included in this year’s Fair. The addition of Toxicology talks to the Mushrooms 101 room proved timely in the wake of the Amanita phalloides poisoning of a family just prior to the Fair. OurMany thanks to Bill and Louise Freedman for their encouragement and assistance in this endeavor. Rhiannon Crane and Judd Nelson brought two new activities to the Kids’ Room (both of which were popular with adults as well): Guided microscopic tours of a variety of fungal cultures and mushroom dyeing on silk. Book and T-shirt sales were brisk, and 47 new members joined during and since of the Fair. It was a fine event - our sincere thanks to everyone! The Fair Committee Horst Kuhlmann, Chair Bill White, CEO Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Fungus Fair 2009 — Better Than Ever! FFSC 37th Annual Fungus Fair Rocked Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Albion II 2012 Recap The wet and wild Mendocino coast cultured a successful Albion II foray for all attendees. Friday, by all accounts, was a day of liquid sunshine. Wendy Wells • February 1, 2012 Hydnum repandum. © Douglas Smith (from mushroomobserver.org) Rain gear prevailed for successful collections of many species for the identification lab and a plethora of fine edibles. The rain spirits teased us early Saturday with a quick hail storm and then the sun broke thru and temperatures warmed. A happy and satisfied group convened for our traditional Saturday evening potluck and many baskets of edibles were viewed. Black trumpets, hedgehogs, yellow feet and chanterelles were abundant along with a few late season Matsutake. Sunday saw intrepid attendees continuing their forays (rain gear again) and many were entertained on the drive home with a radio broadcast of the 49ers game. Special thank-you to Bill and Jeri White for hosting this event and obtaining our collection permits. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Albion II, 2011 – Great Forays, Fungi and Food Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports 2007 NAMA Annual Foray Report A large contingent of FFSC members attended the mid-August NAMA foray in West Virginia. We stayed at McKeever Lodge in Pipestem State Park, situated near the top of a ridge over-looking the Bluestone River gorge. David Rust • September 1, 2007 Scutellinia scutellata. Photo by Debbie Viess At night, the river valley filled with fog, and at dawn, bats combed the balcony alcoves. On the grass below, a woodchuck prowled the grounds for whatever food was tossed his way. Judging from his girth, he’s very well fed. Debbie Viess and I took a couple days before the foray to explore the area. We met Coleman McCleneghan, one of many professional mycologists at this year’s foray. She arranged a canoe trip on the Shenandoah River for us, and then Debbie and Coleman went off to Virginia while I attended meetings at Pipestem. Part of the fun of a NAMA foray is being in a beautiful new place with totally different mush-rooms, and trying to capture the “lay of the land.” Then once you find something, figuring out what the heck you’re looking at. The forest in and around Pipestem was mixed conifer and-hardwood, with many unfamiliar trees. I arrived a day early and ended up going on a pre-foray just outside the park. As I walked among some stumps, I spotted a unfamiliar cauliflower mushroom. Sparassis spathulata is shaped like an Elizabethan ruffed collar, unlike our West Coast species Sparassis crispa , that looks more like a neatly stacked pile of egg noodles. I ended up going to that same foray location three times, because the property was situated at a low elevation with streams and springs, damp soil and shaded forest — one of the most productive areas for fleshy fungi. It had been unusually hot with no rain for a few weeks and most of the local forests were sparse picking. Phil Carpenter, Coleman McCleneghan, Debbie Viess and Henry Young. Photo by David Rust One of the highlights of any NAMA foray is the wide range of presentations by the nation’s best professional mycologists. Pipestem was no exception. On the first full day, the program included “Mushroom Taxonomy…” with Rytas Vilgalys, “Mushrooms of the West Virginia High Country” by Walt Sturgeon, and an excellent intro to the “World of Myxomycetes” by renowned slime mold expert Steve Stephenson. Because this foray was dedicated as a memorial to Orson Miller, many of his former graduate students gave talks and participated in a tribute. Coleman McCleneghan gave an excellent talk on “Southern Appalachian Species of Pholiota , Stropharia , and Hypholoma .” Pat Leacock and Tom Volk. Photo by David Rust Other speakers included Tom Volk, who lec-tured on mushroom myths, and foray chief mycologist Bill Roody, who gave an enticing tour of the mushrooms of Spain. (Perhaps the Pyrenees should be our next long-distance foray destination?) On Sunday morning, Rytas Vilgalys wrote out the names of mushroom families on large sheets of paper and set out representative exam-ples from the collecting tables, which he used to illustrate the new direction of fungal taxonomy. Starting with the simplest forms, the yeasts, molds and rusts, he explained how fungi may have evolved over the millennia, developing different reproductive strategies such as pores, teeth and gills, and how modern science using Rytas Vilgalys discusses clades. Photo by David Rust DNA techniques, is expanding our knowledge about the relationships between mushrooms. His extemporaneous talk amazed the 50 or so people who stood around the table. You could almost see the wheels turning inside people’s heads as they struggled to supplant their older taxonomic knowledge with the new order. The final tally, including slime molds, lichens and a large array of polypores, was 330 species from Pipestem State Park and environs. Not bad for dry conditions and very challenging collecting. Next year’s NAMA foray will be held in McCall, Idaho. Hope to see you there! David Rust NAMA Region 11 Trustee Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports A Fruitful Fungal Foray One Sunday afternoon, after an unproductive morning searching all the right spots for mushrooms that weren’t there, I happened to stop... Richard Lyness • January 1, 2010 Rack of Lamb with Hen of the Woods. Photo by Richard Lyness Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Mushroom Soup Tip – Fried Dried Mushrooms Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Field Report - Nov 2025 Local Foray After scant fall rains, about 30 inquisitive fungiphiles met on a Saturday morning to see what might be popping up in our local fields and forests. Dan Tischler • November 1, 2025 Phil explains why not to eat Amanita phalloides. On a beautiful summerlike day, the mushroom spirits were smiling on us with quite a few porcini and coccora making their appearance, along with a good representation of other local fungi. Login as a member to see the full species list below. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts January 2016 Field Report Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Black Trumpets and Soy Sausage on Crispy Angel Hair Pasta A birds-nest disk of noodles, layered with savory sausage and mushrooms. by Bo Letos Craterellus calicornucopioides. © caitlin_f (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 335164379) Method Prep Heat ¼ cup of the cream and ¼ cup water in a small pan until steaming slightly. Submerge the dried Craterellus in the cream bath and let them soak until completely soft (15 to 20 minutes). In the meantime, chop the leeks and basil, and start cooking the pasta (below). When the mushrooms are rehydreated, extract and clean any unwanted debris from the reconsituted mushrooms, and chop. Strain the soaking liquid using a paper towel or paper coffee filter and reserve the liquid, discarding any unwanted debris. Prepare the Pasta Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain. Beat or whisk the eggs and the other ¼ cup of cream together, and the basil. Add the drained pasta and blend well so all strands are coated. Cook the Topping Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat, add soy sausage and fry until browned and crisp (about 3 minutes). Remove sausage from pan and set aside to stay crunchy. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and sauté until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the leeks, and saute for another 3 - 4 minutes. Pour in the reserved (strained) creamy soaking liquid, the sugar, soy sauce, five-spice powder and salt to taste. Blend well, making sure the liquid coats all the mushrooms. Turn the heat to low while you create the pasta pancakes (nests). Create Pasta Pancakes Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a large cast iron skillet and heat until a drop of water "dances" on the surface (about medium-high.) With a pair of tongs, pull out about ¼ of the pasta/egg mixture and place in the middle of the skillet, flattening it out to look like a pancake. Fry each side until golden brown (about 45 seconds).* Repeat with the rest of the other three portions of the pasta, creating equal discs. While the "pancakes" are frying, stir the cornstarch-water slurry into the simmering mushroom and leeks pan. Stir constantly until thickened to glossy glaze. The mixture should not be runny. Stir in the crispy soy sausage. Place a crispy noodle pancake in the middle of each serving plate, and ladel the mushroom and sausage mix over the top. serve immediately. * To avoid breaking the pancake, make sure the bottom edges are golden brown to ensure there's no liquid egg left. Right before the flip, give the skillet a gentle shake. If the pancake slides around freely as a single unit, it's ready to turn. If it sticks, run a spatula around underneath to fully free it first. Then place the spatula under the pancake, and hold a spoon or tongs on the top to clamp it in place, flip it, and gently lay the other side down. Recipe contributed: March 1999 This recipe was inspired by one of my very favorite cookbooks, Jack Czarnecki's wonderful A Cook's Book of Mushrooms . The recipes, with a few personal vegetarian alterations thrown in, have produced some of the finest meals I've ever had. (The only caveat is that in order to produce such exquisite meals, I seem to end up using almost every pot in the kitchen!) One of the tricks I've learned from the book is that Mr. Czarnecki uses three ingrediants in almost every one of his recipes: sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Since I started doing the same in my fungal feasts, my meals have improved immensely. In my house, we use a 4 star rating system to judge each recipe. Below is one of our own 4⭑ concoctions. Objective: Main course Total Time: 30-45 minutes Yield: 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 8 oz. angel hair pasta 2 eggs ½ cup half-and-half ½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped Sea salt Olive Oil 2 med. leeks, sliced into 1" pieces (cut on the bias) ½ cup soy sausage, crumbled 1 cup dried Craterellus calicornucopioides 1 tsp. fructose 1 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed in ½ cup cold water Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe