A Quarter Cup, Every Day
A magazine blurb, a 30% number, and how mushrooms became part of every week.
Letter from the Kitchen
Years ago, a small blurb in Food & Wine caught my attention. A quarter cup of mushrooms a day, any kind — could lower your cancer risk by 30 to 40 percent.
I remember thinking: if that’s true, I could do this. If that’s true, I should do this.
Mushrooms weren’t really part of my cooking then. An occasional sauté. A topping on a steak. I didn’t know what they were doing, or what they could do.
That blurb started something. I started thinking of food as preventative medicine, not luxury. The vegetables and fruits that carry the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories became the base of how I cook. Everything reorganized around that idea.
My knowledge is general. I rely on experts to point me in the right direction. Josiah Christensen is one of those experts, and he’s on the podcast tomorrow.
This week, the kitchen leans toward mushrooms. Roasted on a sheet pan. Folded into a tart. Sautéed for the polenta.
Last Week, You Answered
So, Pizza
Last week I asked: What’s one vegetable you’ve never put on the grill — and what’s stopping you?
The answers were all over the place. Eggplant. Asparagus. A suckling pig from one reader, who admitted the real obstacle was not knowing where to get one (not to mention a suckling pig is not a vegetable).
But pizza came up over and over. (also not a vegetable) So — pizza.
The make-or-break moment, in a pizza oven or on a grill, is putting the dough on the stone or the grate. With a pizza oven, you’re “launching” — a term that implies force, which is why pizzas end up stuck to the back of the oven. The technique is gentle - not launch-like at all. It takes practice.
A grill grate, depending on the grate, can be more precarious than the stone. Some doughs are sturdier and better suited to it. And — since we’re already on the theme — put some mushrooms on your pizza.
Two starting points on the site:
🍕 Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough →
Join Me at the Table
Father’s Day Masterclass: Homemade Tortillas and the Taco Bar
I’ve been working on my puffed tortilla technique for months. It’s finally ready.
Four colors of corn. Blue. Yellow. Red. White. Each one tastes (and cooks) differently.
The class is on the calendar for Father’s Day, June 21st. Hands-on, full meal:
Nixtamalized tortillas in all four corns
A taco bar — fish with roasted tomatillo salsa, slow pork with mango salsa, roasted cauliflower with romesco
Molcajete guacamole, made by hand
Cucumber jalapeño paletas to close it out
View Class Dates & Book Your Stool →
This class is limited to 8 people. Full menu on website.
The Podcast Hook
Five Colleges Before Mushrooms
Episode 6 drops tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Josiah Christensen on what mushrooms are actually doing for you.
Five colleges. That’s what it took for him to compile his education in mycology.
He started in aquaponics — which still fascinates him — and landed on mushrooms after foraging in the Driftless area of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Worth a listen first thing Friday.
Friday, May 29 at 7:30 AM · Episode 6 — Josiah Christensen: What Mushrooms Are Actually Doing for You
Friday, June 12 at 7:30 AM · Episode 7 — Russ Willenbring: The Secrets Behind Extraordinary Produce
Friday, June 25 at 7:30 AM · Episode 8 — Maddie Jensen: Inside Eversharp: Knives, Craftsmanship, and Community
New episodes every other Friday.
What’s Happening in the Kitchen
Tomorrow on Minnesota Live
Quick heads-up: tomorrow at 9 AM, I’ll be on KSTP Channel 5’s Minnesota Live as the market chef for the Minneapolis Farmers Market.
The market tables will be set up in KSTP's outdoor studio. — a bagel maker, a non-alcoholic beverage booth, and my table. My table is the part most people miss: the makers. Maple syrup from Wry Family Farm. Mushroom salt from Pleasant Valley Mushrooms. Goat-milk soap from Rapha Farms, plus pickles, jam, and relishes.
The producers are the whole story. Tune in if you’re around.
The Skill: The New Basics
Roast Them Hot
Roasted mushrooms turn into something else altogether. The bite changes. The water leaves. What’s left is concentrated, browned, and good on almost anything.
The Quick Win
This weekend, spread your mushrooms on a sheet pan in a single layer. Coat them lightly with a good extra-virgin olive oil or a spray of avocado oil. Salt and pepper. Into a 450-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the type.
That’s it. Top a steak with them. Stir them into eggs. Pile them on toast.
The Most Common Mistake
Cooking them at too low a temperature.
At low heat, mushrooms release all that water and then sit in it. They steam in their own juice. The result is gray, rubbery, and forgettable.
At 450, the moisture evaporates fast. The edges caramelize. You get a golden, crispy exterior and a tender interior.
Same mushroom. Different mushroom.
One Tool Worth Having
A good half sheet pan. Heavy, light-colored, the kind that holds its shape at 450. A Nordic Ware sheet pan will outlive most things in your kitchen.
Thin pans warp at high heat. The oil pools, the mushrooms cook unevenly. Get one good pan.
Recipe Spotlight
Torta di Funghi
MM Blue
The Soul
On my first trip to Italy, my father’s cousin Mafalda made a tart.
I’d never had anything like it. She told me what was in it, the way Italian cooks tell you — no measurements, no recipe. I recreated it from memory. This is that.
I use dried porcini. Concentrated, deep, unmistakable.
The Bridge
Dried porcini aren’t always easy to find at a regular Midwest grocery store. A mix of cremini, baby bella, and shiitake from any store works — sauté them first to drive off the water, then proceed with the recipe.
The tart bakes into something quiche-like. An elegant starter, or a light lunch on its own.
🍽 Get the Full Printable Recipe →
The Mediterranean Edit
This Week I’m Loving…
Two staples I keep close when mushrooms are on the menu.
Pantry
Moretti · Polenta
Moretti is from Bergamo — where my family is from — and it’s the gold standard. Texture, flavor, and how it cooks. Creamy, soft, served fresh. Nothing like the instant kind.
Polenta is an everyday food in Lombardy, Veneto, and Bergamo. Served alongside braises, sausages, and mushrooms.
Especially mushrooms.
Pantry
Carnaroli · Risotto Rice
In northern Italy, people eat as much risotto as pasta. Great risotto starts with great rice. For me, that’s Carnaroli.
It absorbs more broth — and therefore more flavor — than other risotto rices, and still holds its shape. Creamy without going mushy. Almost every cook I’ve talked to in Italy reaches for it.
For mushroom risotto, this is what I reach for.
Cookbook Chronicles
Three Dishes Before the Holiday
Saturday and Sunday before the holiday Monday were busy! Three dishes were on the schedule.
Gingery Cabbage Soup. Chicken Roulades with Polenta. Greek Turkey Burgers with Tabbouleh. Done!
Three more pages photographed.
Some greenhouse cucumbers and flowers from the market, too.
Not bad for Memorial Day weekend.
Before You Go — This Week’s Question
The Herb in the Drawer
Next week’s letter is about herbs.
Which herb is always in your fridge, and which ones overstay their welcome?
Reply or drop it in the comments. I read every single one.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use it.
— Chef Laura