a very different type of mushroom from the Black Sea region |
At the Kastamonu market last Sunday it was quite obvious that the mushroom season in the Black Sea region has arrived as there were mountains and mountains of them everywhere. But these mushrooms were completely different to the ones we get at say, Migros. If I saw them growing wild, I would probably not pick them as they look suspicious with their bright orange caps and weird green fungus-like stains in amidst their pleated underskirts. Fears of being poisoned would be lurking in my mind and I know for certain that TT would be ultra cautious!
But hey, everyone was buying them so it was clear that they were OK. I joined in, and asked what I should be looking for. One woman said get the smaller ones but then confessed she hadn’t a clue. I asked how to cook them and they basically said a little olive oil with a bit of onion would be fine. Doubtless there are other ways but that is what I would have done anyway with some garlic too.
You can’t go wrong with onion and garlic at least in my book. Add a sprinkling of kekik/thyme too.
trimmed and in the pan with the onion and garlic |
and oooked |
And that’s exactly what I did last night. I couldn’t help myself from thinking well, here I go, if I die so be it but of course they were just fine and so was I! Their texture and consistency was indeed different: firmer but delicious. Julia from the excellent blog Turkey’s for Life tells me they are called çintar mushrooms (pron: chintar) and I have since checked them out on the internet!
Click here for her delicious çintar mushroom risotto recipe.
I had also bought some spinach at the market: the freshest, perkiest spinach I have ever seen in my life. After cutting off the roots which I carefully washed, I used the leaves for a soup. I kept the roots in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days and then last night, cut up yet another onion with a couple of garlic cloves, and added the roots with a jar of my summer tomatoes.
spinach roots with tomato |
With salt and a twist of the pepper mill, they tasted wonderful, so splendidly fresh enhanced by the summery taste of those tomatoes.
The perfect supper for the Seasonal Cook and her husband!
oh wonderful! i love mushrooms and spinach too!
What a gorgeous wild mushrooms.Exemples likethis do not need much to taste wonderful;)
I always throw spinach roots in the compost.Now next time I have to try it!:)
wow, so delicious
It does sound like my kind of dish Claudia.
Thanks for the mention Claudia. I was feeling a teeny but jealous because we hadn't seen any çintar on the pazar here, yet. And then we saw some on Saturday. DEFINITELY going to buy some at the weekend for a treat! 🙂
Sometimes I yearn for something which doesn't involve chopping up an onion … I am totally in love with eating fresh and seasonal but it does involve a lot of preparation!!