All of the above are a wonderful way to prepare these mushrooms, as is placing them in tin foil, sprinkling them with soy sauce, and baking them in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes. But I felt these wonderfully "beefy", piney-cinnamon scented mushrooms could star in more elaborate presentations, so I started experimenting.
The first characteristics I found are that it doesn't like butter or other mushrooms! Butter's too sweet and creamy and clashes with the heady fragrance of the mushroom (if you think they smell strong raw, wait until you cook them...it's like walking into an oriental spice store filled with evergreens!). Because of this quality, other mushrooms are totally eclipsed, but if you have only a few Matsutake and you need more for a recipe, I suggest using the small store-bought button mushrooms, as they will absorb the Matsutake flavor and also have a similar texture. Also, you may substitute fresh shiitake in the YakiTori recipe--it works very well!
The second characteristic I found is that Masutakes absorb whatever medium you are cooking it in, as opposed to most mushrooms which like to exude their own liquid. So keep a close eye on them when cooking or you'll have smoldering black chunks in your frying pan!
The result of all this experimentation is that they taste best when cooked in olive oil (the fruity flavor really works with the pine thing) or a light broth (chicken or vegetable). If pairing with meats, grains or vegetables, choose mildly aromatic accompaniments, such as chicken, plain pasta/rissoto or potatoes and tofu (eggs may mask the flavor somewhat) Here are 2 recipes I developed using these guidelines.
Roast Chicken with Matsutake Stuffing
4 Servings
1 3 1/2 pound chicken
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1/4 pound fresh Matsutake, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375F. Place olive oil in a skillet, over medium heat and saute the onion until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until mushrooms are cooked through, 4-5 minutes (you might have to add some water to the pan). Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts, bread crumbs, egg, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
Stuff and truss chicken, place breast side down in a roasting pan and add 1/4 cup white wine. Roast 45 minutes, turn chicken over, dot with butter and roast 45 minutes more or until a meat thermometer reads 185F. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
Add remaining wine to roasting pan, boil over high heat, scraping up any brown bits and reducing liquid by half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Carve the chicken into 4 servings and serve with stuffing, wine sauce and seasonal vegetable.
Yakitori Chicken with Matsutakes
6 Servings
1/4 cup dry sherry 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2/3 pound Matsutakes, or fresh shiitake, sliced into large pieces
Place first 6 ingredients (sherry through garlic) in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add chicken breasts to marinade, coat well, cover and let stand 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat broiler. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute mushrooms 2 minutes. Add sherry, nutmeg, salt and pepper and continue sauteeing until mushrooms are cooked through 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat, set aside and keep warm.
Remove chicken from marinade and place on racks on a baking sheet. Broil chicken 3-4 inches from heat source, turning once, approximately 4-5 minutes each side, until done. Serve topped with reserved Matsutakes.
BON APPETIT!!!
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