The name of honey agarics comes from the place of their growth - these mushrooms love to settle on stumps, tree trunks. However, unlike their cousins, honey agarics grow in forest glades and meadows. Very often they come across even on village streets, in vegetable gardens. These mushrooms differ from other species in a smaller hat, reaching a size of 3-7 centimeters.
Honey agarics belong to the fourth category of mushrooms. They are boiled, fried, stewed, salted, pickled, dried. Their smell resembles the smell of cloves, because dishes prepared with their use are very fragrant. Very often during winter cold and during fasting on the tables of Russians next to boiled potatoes there are dishes in which pickled meadow honey agarics lie.
The recipe for their preparation is simple. To pickle one kilogram of pre-boiled honey mushrooms in a glass of water you will need 9% table vinegar (about 30-35 ml), 3-4 cloves and the same amount of peppercorns, one and a half tablespoons of coarse salt, a tablespoon of sugar. Mushrooms are placed in a sterilized jar and poured with hot marinade, which can also be prepared on broth filtered after boiling mushrooms. To prevent the development of botulism, it is best to cover jars with mushrooms with a steamed nylon cap.
The most important thing when
cooking mushrooms is to remember that honey agarics require mandatory cooking, and not just once, but in two waters. Health problems can occur if you have not used meadow mushrooms recipe when cooking mushrooms.
How to cook these mushrooms? Freshly picked mushrooms, which are no more than two days old, are boiled for 40 to 60 minutes. First, they are poured with hot water and boiled until foam. After this, the broth is drained, the mushrooms are washed and poured already with cold salted water. Frozen meadow mushrooms are prepared in the same way, but the cooking time is reduced to half an hour. The main sign of mushroom readiness is that they begin to settle to the bottom of the pan. By the way, some housewives soak the mushrooms in slightly salted water with the addition of citric acid before cooking. Then all the worms and bugs that went unnoticed when cleaning will “run away” from the mushrooms.
Boiled honey mushrooms are added to various sauces, cereals, used to make soups. In this case, the “second" water, in which the mushrooms were boiled, acts as a broth. But these mushrooms will taste best if they are fried with onions. For frying, we need 500-600 grams of honey mushrooms, 150 ml of sour cream, onions, salt and pepper to taste. We heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the onions, sliced in half rings, until golden brown. We boil the boiled mushrooms in a colander to drain excess moisture.
Someone grinds, someone cuts the mushrooms in half, someone uses them whole - it's all a matter of taste.
Meadow honey mushrooms must be
fried until the liquid has completely evaporated, until they begin to crust. Be sure to stir them, not allowing them to burn - after evaporation of moisture, such a risk is present. When the mushrooms are almost ready, add the onions previously fried to them and keep in the pan for about two more minutes. After that pour the sour cream and simmer them for several minutes under the lid. Depending on the consistency of the mushrooms you prefer, the time of languishing is regulated. If you want them to be in liquid sauce - 5-7 minutes are enough, if you like a thicker mass - you need to let excess moisture evaporate.
Enjoy your meal!