2Tablespoonsflavorless cooking oilplus more for sweating the shallots
Splash of white wine
Instructions
Clean the shaggy manes, rinsing or washing if needed, especially if they were growing in a sandy area. Allow the mushrooms to dry between two layers of paper towels for a few minutes to weep water. Chop the shaggy manes, then put into a non-reactive container like a mixing bowl. Cover the container loosely with cling film, cheesecloth, or a towel during the process.
Store the mushrooms in the fridge at night, but take them out and allow them to sit at room temperature for a while each day to speed up the process. Allow the mushrooms to deliquesce and macerate in their own juices, stirring with a clean spoon at least once a day, until the mixture is juicy, inky, and black.
The process will take a few days, longer if they’re refrigerated. When the mixture is black, goey, and scary looking to your liking, sweat the garlic and shallot in a small sauce pot for a few minutes until translucent.
Add the splash of wine, then the shaggy mane goop, heat through and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
If the shaggy mane goop looks dry, add a little water.
Using a handblender, puree the mixture, drizzling in the oil, adding a spoonful of water if needed to help the blades move.
Transfer the shaggy mane puree to a container and refrigerate for up to a week, freeze, or make into compound butter and freeze for long term storage.
Notes
*Minding the ambient temperature here isn’t a huge deal since the mushrooms are being digested by enzymes, but if it’s warm (summer, etc) the container could draw some fruit flies, which are annoying. There is no danger of GI issues here as the boiling is used as a killstep to sterilize the puree.