I love mushrooms! And this time of year, I try to use as many mushrooms in my recipes as possible. Last Friday night, I participated in a community kitchen where all the recipes involved mushrooms. This weekend, I’m attending a mushroom weekend held by The Mountaineers and the Puget Sound Mycological Society. It involves lectures, foraging, identifying, cooking and eating mushrooms all weekend long.

Today, I found a produce place that had chanterelle mushrooms for only $4.29/pound. These were freshly foraged from a local forest, not farmed. Chanterelles typically cost $14/pound and up, so this was quite a bargain and I bought 3 1/2 pounds of them. I also bought a pound of other wild mushrooms.

When dealing with foraged mushrooms, the best way to clean them of debris is with a small, 1″ wide paintbrush with the bristles cut down to about 1″ in length. This allows the bristles to be stiff, yet soft so as not to damage the mushroom. Washing mushrooms isn’t recommended because they already have a lot of water content, which can leave your recipe soggy.
I borrowed a recipe from Bob’s Red Mill for  Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie, only using the instructions/ingredients for the crust. Everything else was put together based on instinct. The following recipes are what I came up with.

Gluten-Free Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Pot Pie

Filling:

• 1 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast (instead of chicken, you might try venison or rabbit)
• 2 lbs. Chanterelle Mushrooms, cubed
• 1 Shallot, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 bunch Fresh Spinach, washed thoroughly
• 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1/2 cup Rice Milk
• 2 tbsp. Potato Starch
• 1/4 cup Rice Milk

Preheat oven to 400◦ F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and saute in olive oil. Remove to plate. Saute shallot in remaining olive oil until translucent. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms become tender. Add chicken back into pan along with spinach and dry seasonings. Add white wine and 1/2 cup rice milk. Bring to a low boil. Mix potato starch with 1/4 cup rice milk. Stir into pan so that mixture thickens. Pour ingredients into a casserole dish.
Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Olive Oil Butter Substitute
• 1/2 cup Rice Milk
• 1 large Egg (beaten
• 1/2 tsp. Cider Vinegar

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter substitute. Add milk, eggs and vinegar and mix together thoroughly. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared filling. Back 25-35 minutes or until filling is bubbling and topping is nicely browned. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving (it will be very hot, so be careful).

Mushroom Bisque

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. Chanterelle Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small Onion, diced
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3 cups Almond Milk
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• Splash of Fish Sauce

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add mushrooms and almond milk. Cook until mushrooms are very soft. Remove from heat. Using an immersion wand, blend mixture until mostly smooth. Add remaining ingredients, tasting as you go. Serve.