This filling dish celebrates the marriage of salty bacon and the surprisingly sweet, maple-syrup flavor of candy-cap mushrooms. Butternut squash and carrots bring a cornucopia of hearty fall flavor to this breakfast-for-dinner side.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Ozark Forest Mushrooms’ dried candy-cap mushrooms*
Hot water
8 strips bacon
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups celery, diced
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
1 1/3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut to bite-sized pieces
4 cups cooked groats (buckwheat), prepared with chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
PREPARATION
• Rehydrate the mushrooms by placing them in a small bowl filled with hot water. Once the mushrooms are rehydrated, drain, pat dry and coarsely chop. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
• Drain the skillet of all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Reheat the skillet, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Next, add the garlic, followed by the celery, carrot (if using) and butternut squash, stirring to combine.
• When the squash is nearly browned, add in the rehydrated mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the groats, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
*Call Ozark Forest Mushrooms at 314.531.9935 for purchase details.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2011.