Enoki mushrooms can enhance salads, soups, and main courses if cooked delicately and paired with other foods that don’t overpower them. They are commonly used in Japanese cuisine and are best paired with chicken, veal, or fish. Fresh mushrooms should be used and those with brown goo on the stems should be avoided.
Cooks who are comfortable with porcini mushrooms, meaty portobello mushrooms, and earthy shitakes may not be sure how to handle enoki mushrooms. Their unique, subtle appearance can make even seasoned cooks nervous about what to do with them, but there are actually a number of ways they can be used to enhance salads, soups and main courses. Enoki mushrooms can transform a dish as long as cooks respect their delicate natures so they aren’t overcooked and are combined with other foods that don’t overwhelm them. Cooks should seek out only the freshest mushrooms and avoid those stacked in cans or jars and those in the produce department that have brown goo on the stems.
One of the easiest ways to use enoki mushrooms is in salads. While they may join lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a host of other garden veggies in the salad bowl, their presence won’t cause much of a stir as they’ll be overshadowed by the cacophony of colors, textures, and flavors that make up the traditional American salad. A better choice than bowl mate is a simple ingredient: peppery arugula. An oil and vinegar dressing that includes garlic is really all you need to create an elegant, delicious and healthy salad.
Many of the recipes using enoki mushrooms stem from Japanese cuisine because that’s where these elegant, long-necked beauties come from. Cooks can make miso soup with enokis as well as miso paste and kombu, a type of seaweed. This soup is terribly nutritious and smooth in taste. In Japan, it is common to serve it several times a week, if not daily, before a meal.
Even when these mushrooms are included in a cooked main course, they often join the pot at the last minute or are even added as a side dish after the food has been plated. Red meat, pork, game, and other strongly flavored meats are generally too strong for enoki mushrooms to shine. They’re most common in meatless dishes or those that include meat substitutes, such as tofu or tempeh.
Cooks who would like to combine enokis with meat generally keep their choices on chicken, veal or fish. For example, when a home cook prepares veal escalopes, breading and searing the veal is the first step. Next, some lime juice and white wine added to the pan along with the flour turns into a glaze. Enoki mushrooms are added only in the final stage, when they, together with veal, are combined with the glaze for a slight warming.
Many pasta dishes can showcase enokis. Penne or another short pasta made with artichoke hearts, tomatoes and a very good virgin olive oil makes a delicious meal. The mushrooms in this dish don’t have to be cooked at all, but can be served atop pasta along with a sprinkle of Romano cheese. The adventure cook might also add a little orange zest or a few drops of hazelnut oil.
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