Complete Mushroom Book
In the worst year for fungi in the New Forest (because of a very dry summer), to be given a book on mushroom hunting to review is pure torment. For years, we at Le Poussin have been avid mushroom hunters, conducting fungi forays for chefs, food writers and the public.
I'm always asked to recommend books on the subject, and among my recommendations is A Passion For Mushrooms by Antonio Carluccio. There are other books with more in-depth content, but Antonio's books are for culinary mushroom gatherers.
Complete Mushroom Book is a rewritten version of Antonio Carluccio's first mushroom book, A Passion For Mushrooms - great chunks of text and many pictures are the same. But this doesn't make this a bad book; in fact the first book was superb and, like great ingredients and great dishes, why change for change's sake?
Fungi hunting
The book sets out to guide the user on the art of fungi hunting, concentrating on the fungi you could actually find in most ancient woodland in Europe. Next to the edible species, any inedible or poisonous specimens are illustrated to help you avoid mistakes.
New areas are the rules of the hunt. Antonio is one of several people responsible for increasing the popularity of mushroom hunting. But the downside is that the freedom to pick mushrooms is getting more restricted, and with more people picking there's fewer to go round. So Antonio puts the emphasis on picking within guidelines, picking what you know and using baskets that will keep the mushrooms in prime condition and also spread the spores.
Another new area is the reference to the increased variety of cultivated mushrooms and their best uses. In view of the supply problems described above, this is a good addition for large operations, which can create dishes using cultivated mushrooms with guaranteed supply and price, leaving the wild mushrooms for the likes of Antonio and me.
The book then leads on to cleaning, preparing and then cooking and preserving. All are tackled with simple skill - uncomplicated recipes that work. Among my favourites is mushroom extract - I use old wet mushrooms to make a thick, rich black syrup - that's a brilliant flavouring and a lot cheaper than buying cèpe arome. I also like the pickled mushrooms in oil.
The recipes, being simple, make them suitable for the home cook and perhaps gastropubs or bistros, although they wouldn't suit gastronomic chefs. But the book also contains useful information about individual mushrooms, their seasons, preparation and best uses.
Should you buy this book? Would I recommend it? Yes, and yes, although if you have the original, you may be disappointed by the repeated recipes, pictures and text. If you haven't got the original, then buy the new version and use it.
Alex Aitken is chef-proprietor of Le Poussin in Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Compete Mushroom Book
Antonio Carluccio
Quadrille
£25
ISBN 1-844000-40-0
