Surely, when traveling to the bosom of nature, you met in the groves, forests, or even in the meadows peculiar porcini mushrooms in the form of balls ranging in size from tennis to baseball. Larger specimens are also found.
They are called raincoats. A characteristic feature of these mushrooms is that they have the ability to explode. No, there is nothing dangerous in this, just if you touch a mature raincoat, it will burst, releasing a cloud of spores - in this way they multiply, and it was this feature of them that gave rise to the popular name - "grandfather tobacco", "wolf tobacco", "dust coat" , or just a raincoat mushroom. Only a few know how to cook it, as seasoned mushroom pickers from central Russia look with contempt at the raincoat, considering it third-rate. For this, by the way, there are reasons - this is how the mushroom encyclopedia characterizes raincoats. But on the other hand, they are very much appreciated abroad. Not like truffles, but at the level of champignons. And this mushroom is worth paying attention not only to those who live in the "non-mushroom" zone, but also to avid fans of "silent hunting."
In addition to its purely culinary qualities, the raincoat also has an excellent hemostatic property. It is enough to attach a cut of the fungus to the wound, as it will stop bleeding almost instantly.
How to cook a raincoat mushroom
To taste, it resembles champignon, as it is a close relative, but has a more pronounced mushroom smell and taste. If it is dried and crushed, then the resulting powder is perfect for dressing soups, and when fried, it turns out to be just a meal, not a dish. Especially if you put out the raincoats in sour cream.
Mushrooms of any size are suitable for frying, the main thing is that the fruit body is elastic and dense. If the core is dark, then you have a false representative of this family, and if white - a real raincoat mushroom.
How to cook it for frying? Yes, just like all the other mushrooms: first wash, then cut into pieces, boil and fry in warmed butter or sunflower oil for about seven minutes. Then you need to salt the dish, lightly pepper, pour sour cream and simmer for a couple of minutes. You can skip pre-boiling if you are sure that the area in which you were picking mushrooms is ecologically clean. The fruiting bodies of mushrooms have the ability to collect all the toxic emissions of our civilization, and the raincoat is no exception in this regard. How to cook it and not get poisoned? Here for this, preliminary boiling of the entire collection is recommended.
If you heard something about the fact that in a boiling water with mushrooms you need to throw a bulb to determine the toxicity, then forget this advice. He has no foundation. So the mushrooms are not checked for edibility. As for raincoats specifically, even its false varieties are not very poisonous. The maximum that threatens you is an upset stomach and a mild allergenic reaction.
Soup made of "grandfather's tobacco" is also very tasty (as mentioned above, this is what the people call the rain mushroom). Recipes of soups are given in many cookbooks, and here we will talk about how to cook it in haste.
You will need:
- a handful of vermicelli;
- one potato;
- one onion;
- salt;
- spice;
- mushroom raincoat.
How to make soup from one mushroom? With "grandfather's tobacco" this trick may well pass, as it is able to grow up to 20-40 cm in diameter. Enough for a three-liter pan of light soup.
My mushrooms and cut into small pieces. We throw in boiling water, boil for a couple of minutes and drain the water. Then we throw the mushrooms into the pan again, pour fresh water and put on fire. Quickly fry the onion in vegetable oil, peel and dice the potatoes. In a boiling broth, send potatoes with onions and bring it to a half-ready. Now it was the turn and vermicelli. Salt, bay leaves and spices should be added at the end of the soup. You can eat it immediately after cooking, and the next day. It is delicious even when cold, and perfectly replaces the traditional okroshka in summer.