The Magic of Mushrooms

This summer, I’ve found myself somewhat enamored by mushrooms. As I hike with my husband through the bush by Smith, Alberta, I often snap photos of the fungi that seem to pop up in bunches overnight. I’m about as far from being a mushroom expert as you can get — I only just discovered the wonder of the portabello this year — but the wide array of mushrooms we’ve unearthed, essentially in our backyard, is fascinating to me.

So, when I was offered the opportunity to sample the fungi flavours of Sorrentino’s 17^th Annual Mushroom Harvest menu, I couldn’t resist. The menu offers a cornucopia of wild mushroom-inspired dishes, from appetizers to dessert.

We started with the mushroom soup  a tarragon and truffle essence-infused bisque with a hint of earthiness and a consistency so perfectly balanced you can drink it out of a cup.

Next, we sampled Sorrentino’s appetizers or “antipasti.” The stuffed portabello, prepared with Okanagan goat cheese and toasted walnuts, was a hit with its soft sweetness from the balsamic honey syrup drizzled over it. The wild mushrooms also had a hint of sweetness from the Marsala cream sauce and was served over a puff pastry with wild mushrooms. Next, we tried the spinach salad, which was very light with its distinct apple cider vinaigrette and pickled chanterelles.

The Tagliatelle is a ribbon pasta prepared with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and diced prosciutto, while the Rigatoni was served with beef emincé (thinly sliced tenderloin), chanterelles and a basil pesto. My favourite was the Risotto, with truffles, wild mushrooms and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a delight to the palate with its mild smoky and salty quality.

While we were enjoying our feast de fungi, Robert Rogers, Vice-president of the Alberta Mycological Society and an expert on the medicinal benefits of mushrooms provided us with a few mushroom facts. Many mushrooms carry compounds that help to modulate the immune system. Button mushrooms are known for reducing the effects of Type two Diabetes, while chanterelles are high in vitamins A and D, helping with vision. Coral mushrooms have been shown to increase cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s, and oyster mushrooms are known to not only break down toxins in the human body, but can also clean up pollutants in the environment.

Sorrentino’s entrees include the New York, AAA Alberta striploin with sautéed pine mushrooms, whisky and long pepper jus, the free-range chicken supreme, with sautéed yellow chanterelles and a Chardonnay and scallion reduction, as well as the mahi mahi, which was served with rock shrimp, diced lobster mushrooms and Chardonnay lemon jus.

Even the dessert centered around the mushroom. Accented with almond Florentine and truffle Moscato d’Asti consommé, the porcini gelato terrine definitely had an earthy yet refreshing flavour. It was accompanied by Moscato d’Asti wine, a light, sweet champagne-like dessert wine that complimented the gelato. All of the menu items can be paired with wines from Antinori, an Italian winery that has spanned 26 generations.

If you want to discover for yourself the finer points of cooking with mushrooms, Sorrentino’s offers mushroom and truffle cooking classes throughout September, as well as a mushroom foraging walk with Chef Chris Hrynyk.

Michael Avenati, from Mo-Na Food, was also on hand to field some fungi questions. He sources and brings in a wide variety of wild mushrooms from Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan with the belief that the less distance they have to travel, the fresher the mushrooms will be. Inevitably, someone always asks him how to discern “magic mushrooms,” to which he replies with a smile, “All mushrooms are magical to me.” —Kim Collins-Lauber