Prized by Japanese chefs, Matsutake mushrooms (also known as 'Pine' mushrooms) have a savory and pungent flavor. It has been said that you should cook the matsutake until you can "eat the aroma." Matsutakes are meaty like porcinis and portobellos. The large ones have steak like caps and thick stems. The flavor of the larger Matsutake mushrooms are intense and can sometimes overwhelm dishes. Use Matsutake mushrooms sparingly unless the intensity is favorable to you.

Origin: All of our wild mushrooms are sustainably hand-foraged in the pristine mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Season: The season for Matsutake mushrooms is between September and January.

Applications: While the Japanese have a fondness for matsutakes and many recipes have an Eastern perspective, the mushroom isn't limited to Asian dishes. It is such a meaty mushroom, it would do well in braised dishes, either as part of a mix of wild mushrooms or with chicken or a roast. Try with flavorings of soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic.

Storage & Handling: Place in a paper bag and refrigerate for use within 10 days. Before cooking, clean them gently with a damp paper towel to remove dirt. Do not soak them.

How to Preserve: If you find that you will not be able to use all of your fresh mushrooms before they go bad, here are a few options:

• If you dry them, they will last for years and retain an intensified form of their intrinsic flavor and vital properties. Simply dehydrate your left over mushrooms at under 140 degrees, in an oven (or a dehydrator if you have one.) The cooking time varies with the amount of moisture the mushroom has. Keep an eye on the oven-dried shrooms until they are moisture-free. Many chefs will dry leftover mushrooms and keep them for soup stock, to use months down the road.

• Individually freezing is another method. Place the individual mushrooms on a cookie sheet making sure they aren’t touching, they will freeze retaining their original shape, often times people will freeze them in one bag all together and they will end up with a chunk that is not very cook friendly.

• You can also par-sauté fresh mushrooms in oil and then freeze them.

• Lastly there is canning mushrooms in oil. Cook down mushrooms in oil and place inside a mason jar, the heat should seal the jar. Keep refrigerated for up to two months!

Specifications: Each order is 2 lbs.

Shipping: Fedex Overnight

Matsutake Mushroom Stuffed Phyllo
recipe created by: Rachelle Chinnery
Triangles:
2 small handfuls of Matsutake Mushrooms
1 sweet onion
1 sweet yellow pepper
mild olive oil (for sautéing)
1 package of Phyllo dough
1/2c crushed feta
sea salt to taste
2 TB melted butter
Topping/Dipping Sauce:
2Tb Spelt Flour
1tsp butter
2 cups mild yogurt
¼ tsp tamarind paste (or fig purée)

The first step is to soak mushrooms in clean water. While they soak, dice the onion and yellow pepper into pea-size pieces. When the mushrooms are soft, chop them into pea-size pieces too. Keep the soaking water.
Then, sauté the onion, pepper and mushrooms in olive oil. When the mushrooms have browned a little, add some of the soaking water to deglaze the pan. Cook the mixture until dry and add a little more water to deglaze again. Repeat this process until all the soaking water has been absorbed back into the mushrooms and the flavors are finely blended. Before stuffing the phyllo, add crushed feta cheese. Add a little sprinkle of sea salt too.
Lay out some phyllo pastry and carefully place a tablespoon or so of the mushroom mix onto one corner and fold into tight triangular envelopes. If this is an entree, about three tablespoons full and rolled into a flattened cylinder forms. Both forms need to be generously brushed with butter.
The dipping or topping sauce is a roux base. Melt the butter in a pan, once foaming add spelt flour and stir. Add yogurt to this and flavor with tamarind paste (or fig puree.) Either way, keep it light so it allows full mushroom spotlight! Dip triangles or serve rolls with a drizzling of dressing. Enjoy with wine!