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

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Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley

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Hedgehog mushrooms with garlic and parsley recipe

With hedgehog mushrooms.

There are some recipes so timeless that they’re known across borders and cultures with the only change being their name. Wild mushrooms with garlic and parsley, or persillade, is one of those dishes. 

In France, this would be called mushrooms with persillade. In Italian it’s known as mushrooms “la loro morte” roughly “cooked to their death”, a romantically macabre way of describing something. In Spain mushrooms are cooked similarly, but most of the time I see Saffron milkcaps or “rovellons” being used all by themselves.

Whatever you call it, this is one of the most tried and true ways to prepare mushrooms. And there is no better time to enjoy it than in the heat (often literally) of summer-fall mushroom season here in the Midwest.

Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley

As simple as the recipe is, there is a couple things to know so you can enjoy it to the fullest. First, you want a variety of mushrooms, of course you can use just one species, but having a bunch of different types let’s you enjoy different textures, colors and flavors.

One day this summer I grabbed a few purple Laccaria, some lobsters, white and yellow chicken of the woods, porcini and various boletes, chanterelles, hedgehogs, and a beautiful Ramaria botrytis-they’re pictured here. Variety is key-the more species, the more interesting you’re finished product will be.

How to cut the mushrooms 

When you have different species, which will give you the most interesting version. I like to think that the mushrooms tell me how they like to be cut.

If the mushrooms are very small, like the Laccaria pictured below, I may leave them whole, and the same goes for small chanterelle or hedgehog buttons. If the mushrooms are larger, like lobsters or the Leccinum pictured, I may cut them into slices.

Other mushrooms like the Ramaria pictured here are sliced into thick pieces so they still resemble their shape. Treat each mushroom individually and the finished product will be more interesting. 

Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley

Another thing to keep in mind about the ingredients is the quality of your garlic and parsley. Absolutely do not ever think of using tinned, pre-chopped garlic for this (or anything for that matter in my opinion).

Pre-chopped garlic has a terrible taste that borders on fermented to me, and not in a pleasant way. As it includes liquid too, it won’t caramelize and gently brown like raw, fresh chopped garlic. If you have any of that in your fridge, please unsubscribe from this website.

True Persillade (Chop the garlic and parsley together) 

Traditionally, persillade is not just tossing a little garlic and parsley into a pan. For the most traditional result, the garlic and parsley must be chopped together, not separately. 

Persillade or chopped garlic and parsley The same goes for the parsley. I would only use fresh, Italian flat-leaf parsley here, since it actually tastes like something. Dried parsley is a no-no, and is only fit for garnishing plates from 1980-you might as well season something with sawdust.

Curly parsley too, is pretty void of flavor, and since the price of flat leaf and curly parsley is roughly the same, choosing one over the other is a no-brainer.

Hedgehog mushrooms or Hydnum umbillicatum

Hedgehogs and chanterelles are excellent here.

One last thing to mention is the type of fat. You can experiment with sorts of things here, and they’ll each give you different results.

Flavorless, high heat oil, like grapeseed or non-gmo canola are good, but animal lards will give you a deeper flavor, since they aren’t flavorless. Duck, and poultry fat are especially good.

Using the wet saute

Using the wet saute here is a good trick to help the mushrooms not soak up too much oil. For a video demonstration of that, see my post “How to Cook Chanterelle Mushrooms”.

Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley

Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley
Print Recipe
4.29 from 7 votes

Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley (Mushrooms with Persillade)

Serves 2-4
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Mushroom persillade, Wild mushroom saute

Ingredients

  • 1 small clove fresh garlic end trimmed
  • 1 small handful Fresh Italian parsley 1/2 oz or so, very well dried
  • 8 ounces mixed fresh wild mushrooms
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Cooking oil or poultry fat, especially duck fat

Instructions

  • Clean the mushrooms, rinsing them lightly with water and drying on a towel if needed.
  • On a cutting board, mince the garlic and parsley together with a chefs knife until very fine. This will make a little more than you need. Leftover persillade is good stirred into soup, or tossed with hot vegetables.
  • In a large saute pan or cast iron skillet or two pans if you only have 10 inch saute pans, heat the water on high heat and add the mushrooms. Cover the pan with a lid to trap steam.
  • Cook the mushrooms until wilted and the pan is dry, then add the oil and allow them to brown gently.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, then stir in a generous tablespoon of the persillade.
  • Double check the seasoning for salt and adjust if needed, then remove and serve. The mushrooms make a good side dish like this, perched on top of a steak, or a bowl of wilted greens, plopped onto a bowl of soup--just about any way you could imagine.

Video

Related

Previous Post: « Lobster Mushroom Cakes
Next Post: Spring Forage with Chris Bohnhoff »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Margaret

    October 6, 2016 at 10:46 am

    Hi, I noticed you mentioned adding butter during the cooking process, but there is no butter listed in the ingredients. How much butter do you add?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      December 6, 2016 at 9:29 am

      Hey, sorry about that, and thanks for pointing it out. I’m a one man operation here and I’m not the best copy editor, since in addition to the website I also run a large restaurant operation. I adjusted the recipe.

      Reply
      • Emma Cook

        September 7, 2018 at 8:05 am

        You’re doing a great job, love the site :3

        Reply
  2. Kathleen Rodgers

    July 28, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    I scored some beautiful Russula crustosus. I was thinking leftover rotisserie chicken , figs , feta or blue cheese with butterleaf lettuce? Saute the mushrooms with EVOO and the figs , Vidalia onions . Add the chicken slices and warm them Salt and fresh ground pepper. Spoon into the lettuce leaves and garnish with the crumpled cheese.?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      July 28, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      I might skip the figs, sounds good though!

      Reply
  3. Heather A Andersen

    June 23, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    Can one use cilantro in place of parsley? I have beautiful cilantro plants but, alas, no fresh parsley. A lovely Chicken of the Woods … just picked.
    Thanks,
    Heather

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      June 23, 2019 at 3:21 pm

      Of course! This is a super classic preparation that’s just an outline. A little hot chili would be good too. As long as it’s a soft herb, and not too strong, you’ll be find: cilantro, parsley, chives, or chervil would be great.

      Reply
  4. Scott C

    December 11, 2021 at 8:23 am

    5 stars
    I’m so glad I found your website. Looking out the window I can see a Lion’s mane. I’ve never cared for mushrooms, gag on the little ones even those grown right here in Quincy FL. My LM is a double-decker so I will harvest the cleaner bottom. Your recipes are inspiring me and I surely appreciate your humor. Still chuckling over the dried parsley. No shortage of winter greens & herbs in North Florida, parsley year-round, so here goes…

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      December 11, 2021 at 9:11 am

      Thanks Scott.

      Reply
  5. Donna Thomas

    December 27, 2021 at 11:14 am

    Where can one purchase Chicken in the Woods?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      December 28, 2021 at 7:31 am

      Farmers markets during the season or pick your own. They are not grown commercially, at least at sellable scale yet.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Wild Edibles: Coral Mushrooms says:
    February 28, 2020 at 10:15 am

    […] Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley […]

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  2. The Magical World of Mushrooms for Nutrition, Delicious Food and Medicine. 7-25-21 | The Garden Lady of Georgia says:
    July 25, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    […] There are many great recipe collections online too: https://foragerchef.com/wild-mushrooms-with-garlic-and-parsley/ […]

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Alan Bergo
Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each instead of the pound. 

Good day today, although my Twin Cities spots seem a full two weeks behind from the late spring. 2 hours south they were almost all mature. 

76 for me and 152 for the group. Check your spots, and good luck! 

#morels #murkels #mollymoochers #drylandfish #spongemushroom #theprecious
The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natu The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natural secretion of water I typically see with plants. 

I understand it as an indicator that the mushrooms are growing rapidly, and a byproduct of their metabolism speeding up. If you have some clarifications, chime in. 

Most people know it from Hydnellum 
peckii-another polypore. I’ve never seen it on pheasant backs before.

Morels are coming soon too. Mine were 1 inch tall yesterday in the Twin Cities. 

#guttation #mushroomhunting #cerioporussquamosus #pheasantback #naturesbeauty
Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a grocery store. 

#groceryshopping #sochan #rudbeckialaciniata #foraging
Italian wild food traditions are some of my favori Italian wild food traditions are some of my favorite. 

Case in point: preboggion, a mixture of wild plants, that, depending on the reference, should be made with 5-23 individual plants. 

Here’s a few mixtures I’ve made this spring, along with a reference from the Oxford companion to Italian food. 

The mixture should include some bitter greens (typically assorted asters) but the most important plant is probably borage. 

Making your own version is a good excercise. Here they’re wilted with garlic and oil, but there’s a bunch of traditional recipes the mixture is used in. 

Can you believe this got cut from my book?!

#preboggion #preboggiun #foraging #traditionalfoods
Oh the things I get in the mail. This is my kind Oh the things I get in the mail. 

This is my kind of tip though: a handmade buckskin bag with a note and a handful of bleached snapping turtle claws. 😁😂 

Sent in by Leslie, a reader. 

Smells like woodsmoke and the cat quickly claimed it as her new bed. 

#buckskin #mailsurprise #turtleclaws #thisimylife #cathouse
Bluebell season. Destined for a Ligurian ravioli Bluebell season. 

Destined for a Ligurian ravioli as a replacement for the traditional borage greens. 

#mertensiavirginica #virginiabluebells #spring #foraging
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