First step: drive about an hour, exit the highway and drive through a few picturesque pre-Alpine villages, the last of which being Hochegg, to arrive at a Gasthaus overlooking beautiful farm valleys. This is our mushroom hunting area.
Into the woods we went, looking for Cantharellus cibarius, AKA chanterelles.
The golden fruit
It's fun wandering around in the quiet woods, hunting mushrooms. We spotted them under blueberry bushes (and the blueberries tasted pretty good, too!) and growing beneath an inch or so of old pine needles----when they start to mature, the cap pushes up through the needles, revealing the mushrooms.
We spent a couple of hours in the woods and ended up with about three pounds of mushrooms.
Back down at the car, we went into the Gasthaus for a delicious lunch.
Gnocchi with ham, mushrooms, and onion
Sammy the Gasthaus dog. He was very friendly and sweet.
He lay under our table while we ate and was rewarded with several hand-outs.
In the US, any health department would panic if a dog was in a restaurant.
In Europe, nobody gives a shit.
All roads lead somewhere. A sign outside the Gasthaus near the village of Hochegg.
Back at the parents' house, we divided up the bounty, each of us ending up with about 1.5 pounds.
When we got home, B cleaned the mushrooms cooked them up.
The mushrooms before cleaning.
After cleaning.
Saute garlic and onions in a bit of olive oil and lard.
Then add the mushrooms. Then add a little white wine.
Add a bit more white wine after the first dose cooks down.
Finally, add diced boiled potatoes and parsley.
Then add the mushrooms. Then add a little white wine.
Add a bit more white wine after the first dose cooks down.
Finally, add diced boiled potatoes and parsley.
Result: a meal that does not suck.
