Hello friends of the Hive realm.
Today I am sharing my rare experience of cooking and eating a puff ball mushroom.
Last week I journeyed to the big farmers market which I don't often do. I know of a stand that sells the more rare mushrooms. Lions mane, oysters, chanterelles, hen of the woods, etc.
This time I was drawn to a mushroom that I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would set eyes on, let alone have the opportunity to purchase and eat.
Calvatia gigantea known as the "puffball mushroom" can weigh up to fourty -something pounds. The one I purchased was around 800 grams.
When I picked it up I was surprised by the weight. I was expecting something lighter.
I asked the guy at the market, what it tasted like. He told me it was a little like some kind of cheese, I think something like gorgenzola, I don't remember. He also said it tasted a little like foie gras, which is made from goose liver. I haven't had that in over many decades.
He continued on with great enthusiasm, to describe the uses of the mushroom with ground beef. I appreciate good customer service,which is rare these days, so there was no way I would interrupt him from his detailed recipe ideas. I would not end his speech by telling him, that I don't eat animal products. Instead I thanked him for the ideas and purchased a medium sized puff ball mushroom. Well, medium compared to what he had.
Since it was so large, I decided to cut it into steaks and bread it.
This is a delicate mushroom to cut. It is quite soft, almost like bread. The market guy told me it will lose moisture. Before I breaded it, I thought it would be best to sear it in a pan.
With a tablespoon of vegan butter and a tablespoon of oil, I did my best to brown the steaks and get the excess moisture out.
It doesn't have the texture that I imagined. I thought it would be rubbery like a portobello but instead as it cooked, it became somewhat creamy.
It looked a little like bread. It was quite delicate so I broke one piece.
I was going for a "veal parmigiana" type of thing, but without the veal, and without the cheese. I didn't bother with vegan cheese either. After all the guy said it was cheese like.
I didn't have breadcrumbs so I dried some leftover bread in the air fryer, and ground it up in the blender.
For the wet mixture I used soy milk and Just egg an egg substitute made from mung beans. It's not easy to find and it's expensive, but I know one place that has it from time to time. If I didn't have this I would just use the soy milk. I added onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper to this wet mix.
Breaded puff ball mushroom
Puff ball mushroom around 800 grams (I forget the exact weight)
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups flour
4 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup egg substitute (optional)
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Coat the steak in flour.
Dip in wet mixture.
Coat in breadcrumbs. You all know the drill right?
Now it looks ready to fry.
But wait!
I can avoid frying this in a pan once more. I now have an air fryer!
I had threatened to get an air fryer for so long, a little like a joke. Marc said no way, a little like a joke. He told me it's just an oven and we have one. I explained that it is a convection oven and we don't have one.
After two years of this "joke", not a joke, I made the online purchase. I chose one of the top ones. A duel zone Ninja air fryer with two drawers. Go big or go home right?
Marc used it right away when I was at work and made crispy cauliflower and tofu. He was so proud of it and admitted that this was a good purchase. I haven't used the oven since.
I bought a little oil spray bottle and misted the steaks with the oil. I put it on the air fry setting at 400F and checked it after 5 minutes. I honestly don't remember how long I left it after that. Not long though, because it had already been cooked. I made sure it was golden and crispy on the outside and still tender on the inside.
I turns out that this mushroom stays quite soft no matter how long you cook it. I could be wrong if I try it again a different way.
I accompanied it with spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce.
Tomato sauce
One 28 oz can Italian tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1 small carrot
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mince the carrot and celery. Saute chopped onion then garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Add wine. Add tomatoes crushed by whatever method chosen. I used a masher. At the end of cooking it down for a good hour on simmer, I blended it in a blender until smooth the way I personally prefer it.
Alongside I had a simple saute of dandelion greens with onion, garlic, lemon juice and toasted walnuts. It was dandelion that was cultivated purchased at the store. This is more popular with Italian cuisine it seems. I like the bitter contrast with the sauce.
So what do I think of the puff ball mushroom?
It was mild. It did indeed resemble some kind of cheese but I can't pin point it. It also had some kind of mild grassy taste, which could be where the foie gras taste could come in. We all may interpret the taste differently.
Marc said he liked this the best of all mushrooms. I consider the price and say that it was not 35 dollars worth of fun for the palate. It was enjoyable no doubt. I would have it all the time if it didn't cost this much.
I have no problem paying this for Lion's mane or oyster mushrooms, which I like the texture of much more.
I have to say I am glad I could have the experience. It is a mushroom that I didn't expect to find ever in my lifetime.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day
design by: @KidSistersPhotos taken with a Nikon D7500
What an interesting recipe.
Congratulations on acquiring a new air fryer
Haha thanks it's like getting a new family member.
🎉 Upvoted 🎉
👏 Keep Up the good work on Hive ♦️ 👏
❤️ @mysteriousroad suggested sagarkothari88 to upvote your post ❤️
Thank you @hivecurators!
Oh, that’s such an interesting find! I think your ideation was spot on with this mushroom; you made a perfect choice and one can see that in the result which looks rather delectable.
Yeah I never thought I would see this ever. It's always good if something is breaded and fried haha. Fortunately the air fryer saved me from too much oil.
Thanks so much @itsostylish!
You've been curated by @plantpoweronhive! Delegations welcome!
Thank you @plantpoweronhive!
Hello lady @carolynstahl how are you
I can't believe how huge that mushroom is, I'm glad you've prepared a delicious recipe with it
I love how you've prepared it, it looks really delicious
Have a lovely night
Yes the mushroom is huge but imagine they get as big as 45 pounds. I would love to see that in the forest.
Thank you for you kind words @miprimerconcurso.😊
I'm glad you found this mushroom at the market and that you received excellent service from the customer service staff.
I loved how you prepared this recipe, the dish looks delicious.
Have a beautiful day, dear friend @carolynstahl
Hello @jlufer. It's a miracle to find this mushroom. I've seen it in videos but never for real.
Thank you for your kind support my friend.
Good day to you too!
Hi, your dish looks delicious, I love all the ingredients you have used. I particularly love mushrooms, but at least in my city I have only been able to find small mushrooms. I have never seen such a big mushroom, enough to eat for several days. It certainly looks like bread at first glance. Greetings.
Hi @hylene74. I really was lucky to find this monster of a mushroom haha. It was too costly to have all the time but it's worth it for me to try once. I would be excited to find one in the forest. Imagine?
Thank for your kind visit.
$35 bucks is worth the experience, but yeah, you wouldn't do it again. I reckon that they're best in the wild. We used to find huge ones and share them with everyone on the encampment we were in at the time, and we'd still have left over. Goujons are the way to go - I don't know how else you'd eat it. They're a buzz to find in the wild.
Wow you actually found them. I can imagine how awesome that would be.
They are not 35 dollars good. I'll stick with oysters.
Wow, that's a really huge mushroom and the amazing thing is that there are even bigger ones. I think you made great use of it by cooking it in that way that looks so tempting and thanks to the fact that you bought the air fryer you can indulge yourself even more without so much oil, great.
The air fryer is my new best friend. It makes things crispy like frying and I can sit down and wait for the bell to ring when it's done haha.
I can't believe there are such big ones of those mushrooms. It would be amazing to come across that in the wild.
Thanks for your kind words and visit.
Join the foodie fun! We've given you a FOODIE boost. Come check it out at @foodiesunite for the latest community updates. Spread your gastronomic delights on and claim your tokens.
Thank you @foodiesunite.
What a find! One finds amazing foods at farmers markets. I've never seen a mushroom like you describe, and so big as well.
That was so kind of you not to dampen the guy's enthusiasm.
It's 5.25am, I'm seeing off 2 longterm guests, otherwise I'd still be sleeping but popped in here. I'm now hungry after reading your post. You've certainly done this mushroom justice Carolyn!
I also need an airfryer, on my wishlist, everyone who has one, raves about it.
I could not believe my eyes when I saw the ball. I had no choice but to splurge and satisfy my curiosity.
I wish you would get an air fryer. It saves a lot of oil. I don't know about over there, but here oil is a small fortune so if you want to deep fry it's too costly to change the oil frequently. I have actually baked bread in the air fryer. The best thing is that it takes have the time to cook as the oven. The worst thing is that you cannot put a large tray of cookies or lasagna. Not a problem for only two people.
Have a great day!
I'd also buy a mushroom like that if I ever come across it!
Airfryer's definitely on my 'must-have' list, especially now that I'm only cooking for 2 (my 1 employee lives here). It's such a waste turning a big oven on just for a small dish.
Enjoy the rest of your day, Carolyn🤗
I was thinking that the meat might work for a beef patty in my burger!
Yes it was mentioned by the market man that he puts it in a burger sometimes.😊
Looks good I’m really enjoying your cooking content. Keep up the good recipes.
Thanks a million @cryptictruth!
Wow, that's a big mushroom! I've never seen anything like that before. I'm fascinated by this gigantic mushroom and what you did with it; it looks totally delicious; in fact, I love everything on your plate 😋
An air fryer is super useful; I bought one a few years ago that looks like a regular oven (it has a door instead of drawers). It's a great ally if you want to use little or no oil; I love it and every time I turn it on, which is at least once a day, I pray that it works well and stays that way for many, many years.
I hope your super air fryer gives you many more joys 😁 Big hug, friend! Hope you're having a good week ❤️
Yes I was so surprised when I saw the beast of a ball right in front of my eyes haha.
The air fryer is my saviour. It's a purchase I don't regret at all.
Yay air fryer team!!!!
Best wishes my friend. Have a good week as well.😊❤️
You can see that it is an exquisite meal. Successes./ Se observa que es una exquisita comida. Éxitos.
https://inleo.io/threads/view/omarrojas/re-leothreads-qmqf1ure?referral=omarrojas
Very internet mushroom which is more like a football! We would never have such weird mushrooms in the forest. They are usually quite small.
The meal turned out quite good and yummy! Very colourful display too.