It truly made my afternoon to see Chatfield Hollow Farm at the Madison Farmers’ Market last Friday. I have so many fond memories of their mushrooms from previous summers and I couldn’t wait to try something new this time around.
I arrived at the market around 5 pm and was lucky there were any mushrooms left. There was a half-full container of maitakes and two containers of trumpet mushrooms on the table. Having never tried trumpets before, I was a little skeptical of them. The vendor described them to me as seafoody, like a vegan substitute for scallops. I decided to take them home with me and surprise my brother with them, and darn am I happy I did. Trumpet mushrooms are exquisite. They smell like nothing you’ve ever smelt before. We sauteed them slowly in olive oil until they’d completely sweat out and had started to caramelize. We seasoned with a dash of sea salt and cracked black peppercorn. The main dish was an indulgent pasta: penne in a creamy Roquefort sauce topped with grated Parmesan-Reggiano (both cheeses from the Madison Cheese Shop) and garnished with fresh parsley from the garden. I’d also bought a bouquet of Hakurei turnips from Four Roots Farm that day, which they describe as “more like a radish than they are like a turnip – best eaten raw, with a hint of spicy. But unlike radishes, hakurei have a creamy texture that is unlike any other veggie we grow.” I sliced them up, and served them alongside the pasta and mushrooms. This unlikely pairing turned out to make a surprisingly balanced and satisfying summer dinner.
