Lately I’ve been powdering my dried wild mushrooms, batch after batch and species after species, then attempting to use the powders in various kitchen concoctions.
First were the porcini (Boletus edulis), from which I made a divine sauce, followed by not-so-bad hawks wings (Sarcodon imbricatus) venison marinade and cream sauce. Short-stemmed slippery jacks (Suillus brevipes) were a logical choice after that—in part because I have so many, and in part because I refuse to believe them inferior despite their reputation.
I went through a phase obsessing about Suillus brevipes this fall.
Said me on the Facebook: “Not to harp on the (short-stemmed) slippery jacks or anything, but I’m growing very fond of these guys. I’m tempted to say they rival Boletus edulis, but I think Butter at Hunger and Thirst might have my head for it.” (This because Butter is such a porcini fanatic as to pass up the short, slippery dudes.)
Instead, it was esteemed wild chef Hank Shaw who stood up in defense of the King: “[Short-stemmed slippery jacks] most definitely do not rival porcini,” he commented. “But unlike most mushroom snobs, I like them. I peel the cap and dry them and use them as ‘dried porcini’ that way. I find they have a stronger flavor than many B. edulis.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but not bad.
Last summer was a dry and busy one, and Suillus brevipes were among the most common and convenient mushrooms we found, so I guess that might have been part of their appeal. We like ours best fresh, dry sautéed, then sautéed a bit longer in butter.
Commenter Prue opined that the best way to use them is to dehydrate and then rehydrate; she reported collecting 20 kg of the related Suillus luteus that summer. (Note the comment below on adverse affects from S. luteus by northeastern U.S. mycophagist/author David Spahr.)
So things were starting to sound good—people liking Suillus and all. But then, just when I think my short friend Jack is in the clear, Maria at Green Gabbro goes and includes him on her “Do Less” list—as in, forage less this year—in her post, Lessons from the Pantry.
“Suillus spp. – in theory it can be powdered for a nice soup stock; in practice I always have a slight surplus of frozen chicken broth from my scrap-bag,” she writes.
But can’t you just mix chicken stock and Suillus brevipes for an extra-tasty soup? I wondered. And that’s how the next concoction came about—as part of my ongoing efforts to defend the virtues of Suillus brevipes. I mean, he already has a short stem, the poor slippery jack!
I ended up making a cream of chicken and mushroom soup by boiling a chicken carcass down into a stock, straining, and adding a couple tablespoons of S. brevipes powder, cubed potatoes, diced carrot and garlic, a few cups of dried nettles (Urtica dioica), dried Yucca glauca flowers, and chicken, plus a roué of flour, butter and milk to thicken.
It was a lot of flavors to blend between the chicken broth, mushroom powder, and nettles, but I think they worked together nicely.
Gregg said: “I’m not sure I tasted the mushrooms but it had a rich, earthy flavor to it, and it was a chicken soup, and I liked all the potatoes.”
Hmm. Maybe next time I’ll dump more Suillus brevipes in there. After all, this is supposed to be about the mushroom and not chicken and potatoes!
NOTE: Post updated 3.18.13 to include “short-stemmed” on every mention of S. brevipes’ common name to distinguish it from S. luteus, know by the common name “slippery jacks,” which I have not tried, and which David Spahr commented caused him an adverse reaction upon consumption.
I will happily pick a Suillus early in the year, or if there are no other edibles around. But when porcini season is on, ain’t no way I’m using up precious space in my pack for a shortie.
I understand, B. I understand.
I think some of my lack of appreciation for Suillus comes from the fact that if I have space for them, it means I haven’t found anything better. They’re still usually better than nothing but they’re kind of the Mushroom of Failure.
OMG stoking the fire, aren’t we, Yami McMoots?
I have eaten over 100 species of wild mushrooms and S. luteus is the only one I had a negative reaction to. No serious gastro intestinal but an extremely fluttery stomach and an asthma-like breathing response. I decided not to revisit.
David
Thanks so much for the info, David. I’m a fan of your book, though I only make it to the northeast occasionally. I have only eaten S. brevipes. I don’t think I’d revisit after a reaction like that either. Much appreciated.
I am also a champion of the under-appreciated Suillus brevipes . I live out in Hawaii currently and it is one of the few edible fungi that flush in enough profusion to harvest. I find that after removing the cuticle and drying that they are nigh on indistinguishable (smell wise at least) to Kings. They reconstituted better than using them fresh for sure. I would still probably trade them 2 to 1 with Boletus rex-veris, but have tricked a number of my mycophile friends into eating my “lemon boletes” and even complementing me on the meal! I like to throw them in the mix when making Biscuits and gravy and put them (crumbled) into just about any soup or stock I might be cooking up. Thanks for giving some love to the slimy little buggers, I just collected over 50lbs of them on the Big Island!
WildFoodGirl,
Your blogs are funny and entertaining reading. I too, enjoy the Suillus brevipes quite a lot. I dry sautéed them and add butter to finish. This is my first season harvesting them, but will be on the lookout from here on out. I have a lot more cleaned ones in the fridge that I will dry out tonite to use in soups and hamburgers.
Only one complaint… my wife says the sautéing of these makes the house smell like sauerkraut. And she hates sauerkraut. Oh well!
Oh how could she hate sauerkraut? Maybe if you home-ferment it she’ll like both sauerkraut and Suillus brevipes more. Can I ask where you are located that you are still finding Suillus brevipes right now? I am going through mushroom withdrawal.
Hey Wildfoodgirl,
Thanks for your post on slippery jacks. I’m posting from New Zealand.
You mentioned a friend got sick? This is probably from not peeling the top. Apparently this bit is indigestible and causes stomach upset. Guessing this must apply to only the long stem ones?
I’ve always peeled which is a pain but I’m also never felt sick.
Cheers
Phil
Sure! I would be curious what species you are eating. David Spahr (who mentioned the adverse reaction) is an accomplished mycophagist who has published books on edible mushrooms. I imagine he would have peeled them first. I certainly do. Cheers and nice to hear from you!