Mushrooms and Keeping Warm...

There's a law in Tuscany that you're not allowed to turn the heat on until October 15^th, but I never pay attention to those silly rules and turned mine on early in the month, both to warm my toes and dry my clothes. So when I received a notice from the local police station to go talk to them, I wondered who turned me and my heating bill in! No worries, it was just an old parking ticket that I'd already paid.  Whew!  I came home and turned the heat up!!  We've had plenty of rain and cool weather - perfect for mushrooms!

I was out in the woods this afternoon (a beautiful sunny fall day), looking for mushrooms; turned up a few chanterelles and hedgehogs, but am still on the hunt for the black truffles.They've been elusive this year.

The best way to eat wild mushrooms, whether you hunt them down in the forest or buy them at your local grocery, is to sauté them with butter and garlic; they're full of antioxidants and help fight colds, so they're the perfect cold weather food.  Here's an easy recipe for crostini topped with wild mushrooms;for the best flavor, mix as many different mushrooms as you can find, especially dark species like older portabello or crimini, and wild ones like black trumpet. Dried porcini add an excellent woody depth of flavor and while they can be expensive, you really only need a tablespoon or two.  Maybe you brought some home with you from your last trip to Tuscany!  Open a nice Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Buon Appetito!