• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Plate Full of Grace
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Side Dishes
  • Holidays
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Side Dishes
  • Holidays
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Side Dishes
  • Holidays
×
Home » Recipes » Entree

My grandpa was a hunter but it's not what you think

Published: Nov 13, 2012 · Modified: Dec 18, 2022 by Rose McAvoy · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Like many, my grandpa was a hunter. However, unlike most he was not after a prey with feet and a face, his game had only a cap and a stump. My Grandpa Bill hunted mushrooms. As far as I'm concerned he was the king of all mushroom hunters. His simple equipment consisted only of a freshly honed Swiss Army Knife and a bucket to collect his bounty. He outfitted his broad chest in red plaid flannel with suspenders clipped tightly to his Levi's. A pair of heavy leather work boots encompassed his size 15 feet. With his shoulders squared and a red bandana handkerchief tucked into his back pocket, Grandpa stood as mighty as the lumberjacks who cleared the land where my family's sturdy cabin now stands.

In the spring Grandpa came out of the woods laden with soft crinkly capped morel mushrooms. The morels of Northwestern Washington are born from ground saturated by melted snow and late winter rains. Their flavor and color encapsulate the mineral deposits and composting fir needles they push through to be able to catch fleeting glimpses of the pale sun. These soft delicate mushrooms need to be cleaned very gently and eaten soon after harvesting. The deep umami of morel mushrooms was difficult for me to appreciate during my elementary school years. I liked them best when my mother and grandmother folded them into a creamy sauce with spaghetti or linguini. The morel cap's distinctive honeycomb folds served as tiny little pockets for the creamy sauce.

In fall, after the wood for the cabin's winter fires was split and stacked, Grandpa would gear up for the second season of his mushroom hunting year. This time he set off in search of sturdier honey colored chanterelle mushrooms. Growing during a warmer drier part of the year chanterelles are firm with a smooth wavy cap. They have a light nutty flavor that comes from quickly springing through the dry forest floor. The firm flesh of chanterelle mushrooms makes them easy to dry and store for later use. We never fully dehydrated them, only arranged them on newspapers to dry and then kept them in paper sacks for a week or two. Eating chanterelles with closed eyes you should hear the crunch, and smell the perfume, of dry fir needles on the soft forest floor.

During his heyday, Grandpa collected some impressive hauls of wild mushrooms from the patch of woods surrounding the family cabin. There is one picture in particular that springs to mind of half a dozen onion bags bulging with chanterelles lined up along the bed of his butter-yellow 1979 F-100. My sister and I loved to go out on a hunt with him. We would carry buckets of our own and fix our eyes on the ground looking for telltale irregular lumps and bumps created by mushrooms. Each time we located a specimen Grandpa would inspect it. If it was of the edible variety he would swipe the blade of his knife so low on the soft ground many mushrooms went into our buckets with bits of moss attached.

The memories of my time in the woods with Grandpa live in all of my senses. The sharp crunching of fir needles and the ceaseless white noise of our rushing river fill my ears. I can feel the soft moist air so acutely that its a wonder my hair doesn't begin to curl. My nose tickles with smells carried by untainted mountain air; a tapestry of evergreen pitch, damp earth, and wood smoke. Companies try to bottle and sell this kind of experience but nothing in a store can match the real thing.

Local clear-cutting and decreased physical ability have forced my Grandpa Bill to put away his mushroom hunting buckets. These days he spends most of his time amongst the hipsters of Ballard on the same streets he explored as a boy in the 30's. If you happen to be on Ballard Avenue you are likely to find him perched at the bar of the Noble Fir. For the small price of a pint, he will lavish you with stories about pretty much anything including hunting mushrooms, growing up in prewar Ballard, family farming in rural Arlington, or his career teaching in the Seattle Public Schools.

This Thanksgiving I want to share a bit of my family, our cabin, and its woods with your family and friends. I infused this oat risotto with simple but luscious ingredients to transport you into the snowy Northern Cascades. I hope these mushrooms remind you of the dark rich earth while the rosemary conjures soaring evergreens. The creamy al dente oats are your cozy flannel and the sweet woody wine a cedar log stoked stove. With each ladle of vegetable broth sprinkle in your own memories of family and earth.

Share lovingly, eat heartily, and have the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Forest Floor Mushroom-Oat Risotto

Rose McAvoy
Print Recipe
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Marsala wine allow time to breathe
  • 1 ½ pound Crimini and Oyster Mushrooms or assorted rehydrated wild mushrooms
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary finely minced
  • 5-6 large sage leaves whole
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½ cups steel cut oats
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • cracked black pepper
  • olive oil or non-stick spray

Instructions
 

  • Measure wine and set aside to breathe. Gather a bowl for the mushrooms to rest in, a large skillet, a large sauce pan, a ladle, and a wooden spoon.
  • Use a soft brush to remove any visible dirt from your mushrooms. Slice or coarsely chop mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms with a pinch of salt in the large skillet over medium high heat.
  • While mushrooms are beginning to warm pour your liquids into the large sauce pan and warm them over medium low heat. The liquids should be warmed through but not cooking in the sauce pan.
  • When the mushrooms have begun to soften stir in the minced rosemary and whole sage leaves (these will be removed later). Continue to saute the mushrooms until they have become tender and brown. Once fully cooked, transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set a side.
  • Using the same skillet - toast the oats over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until they have become richer in color and smell "oaty".
  • Begin adding the warmed liquid to the toasted oats in ½ cup increments. Stir constantly and allow the oats to absorb each ladleful before adding the next.
  • Continue stirring and adding liquid until all the liquid has been incorporated and the oats are creamy and al dente (they have a little bit of a chewy texture). This step takes 20 - 25 minutes.
  • Following the final ladleful of liquid return the mushrooms to the pan (remove the sage leaves) and stir in the minced garlic and a pinch or two of cracked black pepper.
  • Serve hot from the skillet or transfer to the serving vessel of your choosing.

More Entree

  • At last! A gluten free and soy free teriyaki chicken recipe! Easy recipe for teriyaki style marinade. Excellent with all proteins from tofu to steak.
    Teriyaki Chicken
  • Quick and easy bacon-pea gnocchi is healthy weeknight comfort food the whole family will love. Enjoy as side dish or a meal unto itself.
    Bacon-Pea Gnocchi Skillet
  • Quick and easy grilled pita pizza topped with hummus and fresh ingredients are healthy and filling. Make for a quick lunch, dinner, or healthy appetizer.
    Vegetarian Grilled Pita Pizzas
  • A quick and easy recipe for make ahead taco meat. Includes easy tips for using lean meat & sneaking in healthy vegetables. My kids LOVE this taco recipe.
    Freezer Friendly Taco Filling, Make Ahead Meals (Video!)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. emmycooks

    November 23, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    I love this post! The story, the characters, the photos, the food. You're lucky to be heir to such a fine tradition, and this recipe looks worthy of it. :) I've never thought to use oats to make a risotto-like dish before, but I have been all over savory oatmeal concoctions for breakfast so I bet I'd love this! Oats are a genius way to get the creaminess of risotto while using a whole grain.

    Reply
  2. Mushrooms Canada

    November 22, 2012 at 11:24 am

    Your grandfather was a fascinating man! Beautiful post and stunning photos. Thanks for sharing this incredible recipe!

    -Shannon

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 22, 2012 at 1:10 pm

      I'm so glad you like it. I am also glad you stopped by and commented. Your site looks like a great resource I will have to go spend some time learning more about mushrooms and reading your recipes.

      Reply
  3. Christie Ellis (@pepperlynnblog)

    November 14, 2012 at 11:20 pm

    An excellent post, Rose, and stunning photos to boot. This sounds delicious! :)

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 15, 2012 at 4:49 pm

      Thank you Christie - I hope you give it a try! :)

      Reply
  4. Conscious Consumer (@korkin14)

    November 14, 2012 at 6:09 am

    Beautiful. The recipe, the story, the pictures. Risotto is a staple in my house and I am interested to see how oats will do.

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 15, 2012 at 4:50 pm

      Thanks Kali, let me know what you think of oats in place of rice.

      Reply
  5. Laura Chandler

    November 13, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    When Rose was just 15 months old she went out to pick chantrelles for the first time. She was toddling along behind me and she grabbed a mushroom out of my bucket and stuffed it in her mouth. I waited for her to spit it out or at least make a face but she swallowed and smiled. Mom

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 13, 2012 at 9:57 pm

      I'm smiling now too. Thanks Mom. :)

      Reply
  6. Annette

    November 13, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    You made me feel like I was walking through the forest with you. What great memories!

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 13, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      I'm so glad you were transported by my story. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  7. Colleen Baltzer

    November 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    Lovely for you to write about your Grandfather, my Uncle! Thanks so much. If I can find such mushrooms down here, I'll give it a try to share with my neighbors!

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 13, 2012 at 10:11 pm

      Oh that would've fun to have a little bit of Washington down in Baja!

      Reply
  8. Jody @ the hobby room diaries

    November 13, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    What a lovely post! It is so wonderful to have the chance to hear stories of the "old days". And yum, morels are so delicious! The pictures are fantastic.

    Reply
    • Rose

      November 13, 2012 at 10:10 pm

      Thank you Jody I'm glad you liked it. Happy mushroom hunting.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Skylar! Welcome to PlateFullOfGrace!

More about me →

Popular

  • 3 Ingredient Carrot Cake Recipe
  • How to Roast Buttercup Squash
    Simply Roasted Buttercup Squash
  • cooking with tea: Smoky Tomato Soup
    Sinus Clearing Soup
  • Chicken thighs baked with tomato sauce
    Healthy Baked Chicken Marinara
  • Seafood Chowder on Galway Bay
  • At last! A gluten free and soy free teriyaki chicken recipe! Easy recipe for teriyaki style marinade. Excellent with all proteins from tofu to steak.
    Teriyaki Chicken
  • Easy ham-corn chowder is healthy comfort food for busy days. Enjoy the final days of summer and get excited about fall, with this quick soup recipe.
    Low Fat Corn Chowder

Holidays

  • Tender cranberry glazed meatballs dotted with dried cranberries & fresh parsley, pan seared, then simmered in a sweet-tart cranberry glaze.
    Festive Cranberry Glazed Meatballs
  • Easy Apple Cinnamon Homemade Granola is a quick and easy granola recipe. Pair with yogurt for a quick deliciously satisfying weight loss friendly breakfast.
    Easy Apple Cinnamon Homemade Granola
  • Homemade Gift Candied Nuts
    Stovetop Candied Nuts with sugar and spice
  • easy holiday peppermint meringue kisses
    Peppermint Meringue Kisses

Hi, I'm Skylar! Welcome to PlateFullOfGrace!

More about me →

Popular

  • 3 Ingredient Carrot Cake Recipe
  • How to Roast Buttercup Squash
    Simply Roasted Buttercup Squash
  • cooking with tea: Smoky Tomato Soup
    Sinus Clearing Soup
  • Chicken thighs baked with tomato sauce
    Healthy Baked Chicken Marinara
  • Seafood Chowder on Galway Bay
  • At last! A gluten free and soy free teriyaki chicken recipe! Easy recipe for teriyaki style marinade. Excellent with all proteins from tofu to steak.
    Teriyaki Chicken
  • Easy ham-corn chowder is healthy comfort food for busy days. Enjoy the final days of summer and get excited about fall, with this quick soup recipe.
    Low Fat Corn Chowder

Holidays

  • Moist, sweet, hearty, and laced with spices to chase the winter chill away. This Gingerbread cake is the ultimate Holiday treat.
    Gingerbread Cake with Light Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Simple Holiday Sides: Maple-Orange Cranberry Sauce
  • Weeknight Potato Hash & Prepping for the Holidays

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 PlateFullOfGrace