Mushrooms In Cuisine

Lambs-Quarters and Puffball Salad

From THE WILD VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK
Harvard Common Press, Boston, 2002
ISBN 1-55832-214-0

Raw wild mushrooms may get you sick, and even commercial mushrooms contain carcinogenic hydrazines (similar to rocket fuel) which is dissipated only by cooking. But steamed puffballs are more than suitable in salads, here balanced with equally strong-tasting lamb’s-quarters.

• 3/4 cups lamb’s-quarters leaves or spinach 1/2 cup steamed pear-shaped puffballs other puffballs,
• 1/3 cup any wild onion bulbs or commercial or other mushrooms
• onion bulbs, chopped 1 tbs. cilantro, parsley, or dill weed, chopped
• 6 tbs. olive oil 1 tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs. lime juice or lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper or cayenne hot pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and serve at once.

Serves 6