• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

  • Home
  • About
  • Wild Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other Mushrooms
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Huitlacoche
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Hedgehogs
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Honey Mushrooms
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Ramps and Onions
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
      • Spruce and Conifers
      • Pollen
      • Prickly Ash
      • Bergamot / Wild Oregano
      • Spicebush
      • Golpar / Cow Parsnip
      • Wild Carraway
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged Animals
      • Venison
      • Small Game
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal and Organ Meat Recipes
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • Field, Forest Feast (The Wild Harvest)
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts / Interviews
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Fricando Of Veal With Saffron Milk Caps

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Saffron milk cap recipe

With a fridge full of saffron milkcaps, I started doing research on any cultures that might use them in traditional recipes.

Of course the first way I tasted them was simply sautéed last year, and I thought them ok, the specimens I had were not the greatest though, and now that I am aware of the look alike (L. Deterrimus) most likely the lack of flavor was due to them being false saffron milk caps. It wasn’t until recently though that I had a whole bunch of real ones to play with.

While dreaming up what I should make with them I remembered that I had downloaded a really fun book written by Gordon Wasson and his wife recently, and I seemed to remember his with Tatyana waxing poetic about saffron milkcaps in a passage or two.

A quick glance at the first couple chapters gave me the inspiration I needed, in Spain, they have a long and treasured history, and are known as their cherished “Rovellon” (PR: rovayohn). 

Now, armed with the name used by Spanards who cook these, I began to do research. Oh man did I find what I was looking for! Much like searching for “recitas per porcini” in Italian will yield many results, so It was with the saffron milk cap and searching for “recitas con rovellons”. Scores of you tube videos from homey Spanish kitchens started to pop up, as well as personal blogs and plenty of Spanish recipe archive websites.

I continued to see recipes for something called a “fricando” Essentially, a fricando is the Spanish variation of a French dish called “fricandeu” in which a piece of veal loin is studded with pork lard, and braised, often in the form of thin slices.

Apparently the Spanards really took to this preparation, as there are tons of individual recipes for fricando that I saw, and only wiki articles and the like for the old French fricandeu. As with many recipes, everyone has their favorite way to make one, some include carrots, some use chunks of meat.

There were plenty of variations of fricando: some with beef cut in chunks, some calling for veal, recipes with and without mushrooms. What seemed to be the favorite was a fricando using saffron milkcaps. Experimenting with the mushrooms in the kitchen for a few days showed me a lot of things.

Saffron milk caps have a wonderful flavor, but cooked in cream with beef, their flavor was lost and the beef totally took over. From here it’s easy to see how the traditional use of veal is warranted, since it’s flavor is much more mild, and will allow the saffron milkcaps to shine. If veal is unavailable, small cutlets of chicken or pork could easily be used for this as well.

I chose to use cutlets too, since many more recipes seemed to use thin cutlets compared to chunks of meat. Cutting the meat into cubes would make the dish look a little too soupy for what I was going for: a grand entree.

The “Picada” 

Traditionally a flavoring agent called a picada is used to finish a fricando. A picada is nothing more than some parsley, garlic, and toasted nuts chopped together until very fine. The nuts will slightly thicken the dish, and add some nice texture as well. Some variations of fricando I saw don’t use the picada, but I definitely recommend it.

fricando of saffron milkcap mushroomsrecipe
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Fricando Of Veal, With Saffron Milkcaps

Serves 2 as a main course
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Spanish
Keyword: Fricando, Rovellons, Saffron Milkcaps
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 12 oz veal pork or beef loin, sliced thinly into cutlets, about 1/4 inch, if you want to use chicken breasts, slice skinless breasts on a bias to create thin slices
  • 1/2 cup white flour for dredging and browning the cutlets
  • 1 qt saffron milk caps sliced in half if medium sized, whole if small buttons, or quartered or cut into 1/6ths if very large
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes peeled and seeded
  • 1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 3.5 cups water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Tasteless oil for cooking like grapeseed or canola
  • Picada
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed Italian flat leaf parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic about the size of a nickel
  • 1/8 cup toasted marcona almonds

Instructions

  • Begin by getting a wide saute pan (a 10" will do) hot and adding oil, season all the cutlets with salt and pepper on one side only (to prevent over seasoning). Dust each cutlet in flour, tapping off any excess, and then cook until nicely browned on both sides, about ten minutes.
  • You may need to work in batches if you have a small pan, just remove the browned cutlets, add some additional oil to the pan, and repeat until all the cutlets are browned. When the cutlets are browned, add the vegetables to the pan the meat was cooked in and saute for a few minutes, making sure the bottom of the pan and the meat drippings do not burn.
  • Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove the drippings. Put a lid on the pan so too much water doesn't evaporate and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 10-15 minutes
  • While the veggies cook, prepare the picada: chop the parsley, garlic, and toasted marcona almonds until very fine, set aside and reserve. When the vegetabes are soft, transfer them and their liquid to a blender and buzz on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • Get a big saute pan and add some oil, heat until hot and then add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until they have taken on some color and are golden brown, cooking on medium high heat. When the mushrooms are nicely caramelized, return the beef and the pureed sauce to the pan, cover with a lid cook this for another 20-30 minutes until the meat is very tender.
  • When the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender, add the picada and cook for 2 minutes, then finally check your seasoning for salt and pepper if needed and serve. Some plain rice, (or saffron rice) would be great with this.

More

Forager’s Guide to Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms

Related

Previous Post: « Hunting Old Knowledge, And Saffron Milk Caps.
Next Post: Slippery Jack Escargot: With Garlic Butter, Parsley And Breadcrumbs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jorge Vilanova

    January 7, 2018 at 11:59 am

    Fricando is one of my favorite recipes. I prefer to use the recipe from the book Catalan cuisine by Colman Andrews. In this recipe the basis is not the picada but the Sofregite which is based on onions and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. I can send you this recipe if you wish.
    What called my attention to your article above is the phrase “With a fridge full of saffron milkcaps”. I have never been able to find fresh saffron milkcaps in the USA and I use canned ones when I can get them in Spain or dried ones.
    Since I grew up in Spain, I am very familiar with these mushrooms and the best way to prepare them is grilled with a touch of olive oil and sat. Some people also sprinkle them with finely diced parsley and garlic.
    If you could give me some information on obtaining fresh saffron milkcaps I would very much appreciate it.
    Simcerely,
    J. Vilanova

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      January 7, 2018 at 2:45 pm

      That’s some great info, I’d love to take a look at the Fricando recipe you’re talking about. As far as saffron milkcaps, yes, I do find them in quantity here in Minnesota where I live, but it’s not every year, need a lot of rain during the fall for them to show up, and they are always with white pine in my patch, hope that helps, I see them with Norway pine too.

      Reply
      • Jorge Vilanova

        January 8, 2018 at 3:23 pm

        Hello Alan,
        Looks like I will be going to Minnesota when the mushrooms show up!!
        Just kidding for now but it may not be out of the question when the time comes.
        As far as the recipe, I would like to send this to your personal email address to avoid any problems with copyright.
        I assume you have my personal address.
        Always happy to chat with a fellow mushroom lover.
        As far as grilling the mushrooms see the attached link. Hope you enjoy it. I’m not in any way related to this website.
        Jorge
        https://catavino.net/rovellones-a-spanish-meal-in-a-mushroom/

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          January 8, 2018 at 3:42 pm

          Thanks Jorge, I took your # off of the comment, but have it saved. I’ll shoot you an email. Thanks.

          Reply
    • Marc Gracia

      June 14, 2020 at 6:23 am

      In Catlonia, the Lactarius Deliciosus is called “Pinatell” (Pine-sap), it’s also very apreciated, but what we call Rovello is the Lactarius Sanguifluus.
      I’m afraid it’s only a European specie. But they are very similar, so don’t worry too much. Lactarius Sanguifluus has a more potent flavour and the usual milk this speciaes expel when cut is of a redish color. (Hence the name, Sanguifluus -> Bloody)

      Reply
  2. Ann Butler

    October 7, 2019 at 9:59 pm

    We found these in abundance in SE Wisconsin this year (2019} near, but not under white pines in mid September. Tasty sautéed, but are they known for causing gastric upset at all?

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Alan Bergo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

James Beard Award Winner

beard award

Subscribe (It’s free)

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Footer

Instagram

foragerchef

FORAGER | CHEF®
🍄🌱🍖
Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water by hand with Sam Thayer and @danielvitalis for @wild.fed 

Daniel and Sam were the apex predators, but I got a few. 

Without a net catching crayfish by hand is definitely a wax-on wax-off sort of skill. Clears your mind. 

They’re going into gumbo with porcini, sausage and milkweed pods today. 

#crayfish #ninjareflexes #waxonwaxoff #normalthings #onset🎥🎬
Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizo Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizomes and blueberries for this weeks shoot with @wildfed 

Been a few years since I worked with these. Thankfully Sam Thayer dropped a couple off for me to work with. They’re tender, crisp and delicious. 

Sam mentioned their mild flavor and texture could be because they don’t have to worry about predators eating them, since they grow in the muck of cattail marshes. 

I think they could use a pet name. Pond tusk? Swamp spears? Help me out here. 😂

Nature makes the coolest things. 

#itcamefromthepond #cattail #rhizomes #foraging #typhalatifolia
I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so much we filmed it instead of the original dish I’d planned. 

Cooked natural wild rice (not the black shiny stuff) is great hot, cold, sweet or savory. It’s a perfect, filling lunch for a long day of berry picking. 

I make them with whatever I have on hand. Mushrooms will fade into the background a little here, so I use a bunch of them, along with lots of herbs and hickory nut oil + dill flowers. 

I’m eating the leftovers today back up in the barrens (hopefully) getting some more bluebs for another shoot this week w @wild.fed 

#wilwilwice #wildrice #chanterelles #campfood #castironcooking
Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine caps on hardwood sawdust from my lumberjack buddy.

Next up blewits. Spawn from @northsporemushrooms

#winecaps #strophariaaeruginosa #allthemushroomtags
It’s wild cherry season. I’ll be picking from It’s wild cherry season. I’ll be picking from my favorite spot tomorrow a.m. and have room for a couple helpers. It’s at an event on a farm just south of St. Cloud. 

If you’re interested send me a message and I’ll raffle off the spots. Plenty of cherries to go around. I’ll be leading a short plant walk around the farm too. 

#chokecherries #foraging #prunusvirginiana #summervibes
Special thanks to the beach in Ashland for hooking Special thanks to the beach in Ashland for hooking it up with on-site garnishes. Beach pea flowers taste strong and leguminous, similar to vetch, or like a rich tasting pea shoot. 

#lathyrusjaponicus #beachpeas #peaflower #foraging #northshore #bts
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

 I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchases help keep this website free and help with the many costs involved with this site as it has continued to grow over the years. 

Copyright © 2022 ·