Ramen broth flavored with wild dryad saddle mushrooms. Mix and match your vegetables and garnishes with whats available and tastes good to you. You can also just add fresh pheasant back mushrooms to packaged ramen-it's ok!
1lbmature dryad saddles mushroomsplus 4 ounces that are young and tender for finishing the dish
1gallonwater
2tablespoonsflavorless cooking oil
Bouquet Garni:
2clovesof fresh garliccrushed lightly with a knife
2fresh bay leaves or 1 dried
5sprigs of fresh thyme
5black peppercorns
For finishing the dish
12ozmixed spring vegetables of your choiceI used fiddleheads, lily shoots, ramps, hop shoots and nettles
3ouncesyoungtender wild greens of your choice, like watercress, ramp leaves, chickweed, mustards or lamb’s quarter, etc, for finishing
Virgin sunflower oilor another flavorful oil like sesame
Fresh chopped cilantro or mintoptional
1thinly sliced jalapenooptional
12ouncesdried ramen noodlesroughly 4 packs
Poached eggsoptional
2-4tablespoonSoy Sauce or to taste
Instructions
Broth
Preheat an oven to 350, roast the carcasses or scraps until golden, then cool and reserve. Roughly chop the mature dryad saddles, then process in a food processor to grind them fine. In a 3 gallon stock pot sweat the vegetables and ground mushrooms in the oil, then add the bouquet garni, roasted pork and bring to a simmer. Cook 1.5-2 hours or until the liquid is reduced by half, then strain through a fine chinois strainer, cool and reserve. From this point the broth can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until needed. Season the broth to taste with a little soy sauce.
Vegetables
Blanch the green vegetables in boiling salted water until al dente, then chill in an ice bath, drain and reserve. Scrape off the pores from the underside of the young dryad saddles, then slice as thin as possible with a sharp paring knife. Clean and wash any greens like watercress and pick the clusters of greens into pieces that will fit on a spoon. Heat the reserved pork-mushroom stock in a stock pot our a wide, deep pan big enough to accommodate all of the noodles.
Heat the reserved stock with the sliced young dryad saddles and heat until wilted. Double check the seasoning of the broth for salt and adjust as needed.
Noodles and Assembly
Meanwhile, Cook the ramen in lightly salted boiling water until tender, then drain and reserve.
Add the vegetables to warm them through, then add the cooked noodles.
To plate the dish, remove the noodles with tongs and divide evenly between four pre heated soup bowls. Use a slotted spoon to do the same with the vegetables. Garnish the soup with the reserved greens, any flavored oil, fresh mint poached eggs and shaved jalapeno if using, then serve immediately with a large spoon and fork.
Notes
Tips
It's totally fine to skip making the broth and use chicken broth and a package of ramen noodles if you want. The vegetables and garnishes are just an example. Try making the broth sometime, then add whatever vegetables and other additions you like.