
Dried Matsutake Mushrooms
In Japan, where they are highly prized and outrageously expensive, matsutakes, or pine mushrooms, (Tricholoma matsutake) are the culinary embodiment of fall. And one sniff reveals why their delicately resinous, sweet spiciness will transport you to a piney wood on a cool, crisp autumn day. Our wild British Columbia matsutakes dry beautifully, and when rehydrated, are at their best in less-rich dishes: light soups, in rice dishes, and classically, in a delicate dashi broth with seafood. Light cooking emphasizes an Asian fragrant delicacy; longer cooking brings out a more robust and pungent flavour in Western dishes.