Fresh Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

Mushrooms have always had an aura of mystery about them. There are tales of “fairy rings,” stemming from the circular pattern in which they grow and myths about the need to gather the fungi at night. Eat the wrong one and you could wind up with a severe stomach ache or a night haunted by violent hallucinations. Or far worse.

But the risk was always part of mushrooms’ lure. Long ago, someone discovered that these wild, weird looking things were among earth’s finest delicacies; worth foraging for the right ones. Mushrooms taste of dirt and chew like a soft sponge and yet are among the most compelling ingredients.

In ancient times mushrooms were considered too exotic for the hoi polloi; they were food for royalty, reserved for pharaohs and Roman nobles. Today, you might still pay a king’s ransom for some kinds but most are fairly inexpensive as far as ingredients go. They were once also difficult to come by, but now are widely available. Today, even many so-called wild varieties are cultivated and for sale at most markets. Even non-cultivated species are fairly easy to find.

It’s worth noting that these days you needn’t worry about nightmares or seeing things or being poisoned when you eat store-bought mushrooms. Emperor Claudius may have been done in by mushroom ragout but markets today sell only edible varieties.

Although mushrooms are commonplace now, they are as worthy as ever. They make good eating in any season, but summer is prime time for indulging our mycological fancies, if only because mushrooms pair so well with the season’s best produce: locally grown goods picked up at the farmer’s market or even some supermarkets. Use the fresh bounty of juicy tomatoes and crisp bell peppers, tender zucchini and sweet ears of corn to make fresh dinner salads such as Pepper, White Button Mushroom and Blue Potato Salad or Farmers Market Mushroom Salad.

Saute mushrooms quickly in a pan with plum tomatoes to make Fresh Tomato-Mushroom Sauce, a light topping for summer pasta. Or use them in quiche, omelets or risotto. Stir-fry cut up mushrooms and serve them atop arugula or spinach or dress them with soy sauce and a dash of sesame seed oil to use as an accompaniment for steak. Use raw mushrooms in a salad or slice some to make a Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Mushroom Gratin, a lovely side dish with chicken or fish or a filling vegetarian entrée. If you need a good hors d’oeuvre also, you needn’t look further than Wild Stuffed Mushrooms, a favorite for most folks.

Grilling highlights mushrooms admirably. The smoke filters through the vegetable’s surface, making it more robust than ever. Large Portobellos are so rich and meaty that some people grill them and eat them like a steak. But you can also slice them and serve them drizzled with Balsamic vinegar as a first course or as a side dish with grilled meats. Grilled Portobellos are a terrific sandwich filler too: try them with smoked cheese and chipotles in adobo sauce on a hard roll or with grilled bell peppers and fresh mozzarella cheese (see the recipe for Grilled Red Pepper, Portobello and Cheese Sandwich). To grill mushrooms, preheat your grill with the rack about 6-inches about the heat source. Brush the mushrooms with a film of olive oil. For Portobellos, grill directly on the grids; smaller mushrooms should be threaded onto skewers or placed in a vegetable grill basket. Either way, the mushrooms should be finished in about 10-12 minutes.

Depending on the type, mushrooms can be sturdy or fragile. Classic white mushrooms are hardy: keep them in the package until you use them; they’ll last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator vegetable drawer. Wild mushrooms perish more quickly; place them in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth or paper towel and keep them in the refrigerator vegetable drawer. Do not store them in a closed plastic bag.

Experts disagree about how to clean mushrooms. Rinsing can make mushrooms waterlogged, so it’s best to wipe them clean with paper towels. However, if the mushrooms are extremely dirt-laden, rinse them briefly under cold water and blot them dry quickly.

Over the centuries, mushrooms sometimes seemed magical not merely because of they way they grow or for their earthy flavor but also because they were prized by healers, who used the fungi as medicine. In fact, there are some medicinal properties in some mushrooms and in recent years scientific researchers have begun to look at a possible immune-boosting property in shiitakes and maitakes and at the potential for white mushrooms to protect against estrogen-dependent breast cancer in post-menopausal women. We do know that mushrooms are a good source of potassium, which helps the heart maintain a normal rhythm, and selenium, which may have anti-cancer benefits.

You’ll find dozens of different kinds of mushrooms when you shop. They all taste a little different, so it’s probably smart to try one variety at a time to understand the flavors. Then mix it up and enjoy the mélange.