A walk in the woods
It was a slow start to Victoria’s wild mushroom season this year. Very little rainfall early in autumn means we haven’t seen large quantities of the two wild mushroom varieties that are prolific along the fringes of pine plantations.
Pine mushroom (Lactarius deliciosus) and slippery Jack (Suillus luteus) are introduced species of mushroom that are commonly used in both European and Asian cuisines and are relatively easy to identify. But beware – many varieties, including pine mushroom, have a “false” and often poisonous namesake.
There’s no better way of cooking pine mushrooms than simply sautéing them in reasonably large quantities of butter with a small amount of garlic and hard herbs. For variety, a few young pine needles instead of a hard herb can evoke the environment in which the mushrooms are found.
Slippery Jacks were originally classified in the Boletus genus, which ties them to the lord of fragrant mushrooms, the porcini. I find that thinly slicing and drying slippery Jacks for use in broths and braises is preferable to sautéing them. The name must be derived from the texture produced when they are cooked in that manner. The skin of the slippery Jack can also upset some people’s stomachs so, in order to avoid this, I recommend peeling the outer brown skin before further preparation.
Gathering mushrooms – with absolute regard for safety – can be very pleasant indeed. A walk in the woods is nice, but a walk in the woods while collecting food is even nicer. •