Chanterelles mushroom ragout strictly vegetarian

While visiting the market at the ferry building in San Francisco last week, I was quite impressed by the selection of certified organic mushrooms the Far West Fungi store offered. Each variety of mushrooms is displayed with an artistic touch with the name and price, and they even offered a small basket of mixed mushrooms for the price of five dollars.

I was much captivated by the golden chanterelles and decided to develop a recipe around a mixed mushroom ragout.

The golden chanterelle known as well as Girolle is one of the most flavorful mushrooms with the morels and truffles. Their harvest season goes from the month of September to the end of February in the West Coast. The aroma is often described as containing a touch of peach-apricot flavor and sometimes quite spicy. Chanterelles became popular under the influence of French cuisine that made it a signature delicacy. Since chanterelles do not contain much water, the best way to cook them is to sauté them in oil, butter, cream or wine.

This week's recipe is mushroom ragout, designed to accompany any meat, poultry or fish dish and is strictly vegetarian. It can be used as a base for a pasta or risotto.

Chanterelles mushroom ragout

(Mushrooms can be ordered from the company Far West Fungi.)

8 oz. butter

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1⁄4 cup finely chopped shallots

1⁄2 golden chanterelle mushrooms, sliced

1⁄2 oyster mushrooms sliced

1⁄2 Shitake mushrooms sliced

1⁄2 hedgehog mushrooms sliced

1⁄2 yellow foot mushrooms sliced

Half cup chopped parsley

Two cups red wine, preferably pinot noir

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add all the mushrooms at once and cook for 12 minutes, stirring the mushrooms together.

Add the butter, wine and parsley and cook for another 15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and the mushrooms tender.

Serve hot on top of any cooked meat, poultry, fish or pasta.

For a risotto, you will have to substitute a larger quantity of vegetable or veal stock instead of the wine and cook the rice much longer. For more information, please read the recipe for ossobuco with mushroom-Meyer lemon risotto published Feb. 8.