Friday Fungus: Underground Restaurant and truffled mac & cheese!

I have neglected to speak of many things – and one of them is Ms Marmite Lover (other than a little rant about the Underground Restaurant). So it was a delight to have an excuse for a Marmite Lover themed Friday Fungus.

As with many of these things it started with a tweet – a comment to Mister Truffle from Ms Marmite Lover that she planned a macaroni cheese with truffles. Wow I thought, that’s a brilliant idea – as good as my wife’s approach of adding cayenne pepper. In response Ms Marmite Lover urged me to come and try out said delight at her latest event:

JAR FOOD: PICKLES, POTIONS AND PRESERVES

LONDON: The Underground Restaurant - Kilburn

FRI 4TH MAR, 2011 7.30

A meal in which I explore the properties of food cooked in sealed jars:
pickles
bouillon
bean stew
sauerkraut
preserved fruits
rice pudding
More details closer to the time.

Arrive on time
BYO or order from tengreenbottles.com who will deliver here directly
Dress: Up!
Service: spring like

Sadly for reasons of distance and engagements I can’t go to this – sounds a fine do and as of now there are still a few places left.

But truffles in a macaroni cheese – that’s a thing I shall be trying! There are any number of recipes with truffle oil – like one from The Taste of Oregon (although there’s not much of Oregon in a Mac & Cheese) – but I wanted one that used the real thing, grated black truffles and I found it here.

I shall enjoy – hope you do too!

...

Friday Fungus: the world's biggest living thing (and one of the oldest)!

The world's largest living thing is probably a mushroom - Armillaria ostoyae or the honey mushroom. The biggest example of this fungus covers 2,200 acres and is in the Malheur national forest in Oregon. And this mushroom is pretty old too - at least 2,400 years and possibly as much as 7,000 years. (There is some argument that the Pando or quivering aspen of Utah is bigger and older - but it's not a mushroom so who cares!)

I've read mixed reviews on the edibility of honey mushrooms with some claiming them as delicious while others suggest they cause quite serious gastric problems in some people. Personally, I always worry a little about parasitic fungi - no reason to but it some how feels better to think of them as wholly bad!