Mushroom head

"Is there anything more provocative and mysterious than a mushroom?" Amy Farges asks in her "Mushroom Lover's Cookbook."

Not if you're Mark Jones. Jones, a self-described science geek and the son of Edith and Martin Jones of Cape Girardeau, first became fascinated with fungi when he took a mycology class in college. Now cultivating mushrooms and helping others appreciate them has become his life's work.

Jones is the CEO (that's chief ecological organism) of Sharondale Farm, a permaculture project on the family homestead in central Virginia where he grows and sells mushrooms, teaches workshops on mushroom farming and conducts research. A confirmed mycophile, he believes that mushrooms are not only tasty but the ecological cornerstone of any environment.

Though Jones' operation is more extensive and sophisticated than that of French King Louis XIV, the earliest documented mushroom grower, neither was hardly the first to notice that mushrooms, in the words of culinary historian Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, offer delicious food "to be had for nothing but the trouble of bending down."

Gathering and eating mushrooms goes back to prehistoric times. Not long ago, for example, hikers in the Tyrolean Alps discovered the frozen remains of a Stone Age man established through radioisotope dating to be at least 5,000 years old. In his possession were three kinds of mushrooms.

Hieroglyphics from 4,600 years ago reveal that the ancient Egyptians believed mushrooms were the plant of immortality. The pharaohs monopolized them for themselves, decreeing that they were food for royalty, not commoners.

The literature of classical Greece is replete with references to the pleasures, and perils, of eating mushrooms. The Romans served mushrooms at their most sumptuous banquets. In fact, mushrooms were the only food prepared by the host at a Roman banquet, probably more for safety's sake than anything else.

Given this rich heritage, it comes as no surprise that mushrooms, particularly wild ones, are enthusiastically gathered and eaten in most countries of the world -- except for the United States. Americans, other than those who live in the upper Midwest, where what Elio Schaechter calls "morelmania" is a common affliction, tend to be mycophobic.

That's too bad. As Jones and other mycophagists would be quick to tell you, some 120,000 species of mushrooms and fungi have been identified throughout the world and, of those, nearly 2,000 are edible. It's a shame to limit yourself to the common button variety.

Consider instead what Schaechter calls the 12 Great Edibles, in order of gastronomic repute:

* Porcini

* Chanterelle

* Morels

* Black trumpets

* American matsutake

* Parasols

* Meadow mushrooms

* Chicken mushroom

* Hen-of-the-woods

* Oyster mushroom

* Honey mushroom

* Blewit

Use any of these in a dish and your chances of culinary distinction will positively mushroom.

Fettuccine with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

More available dried than fresh, porcini mushrooms take their name from the Italian word for piglets. Some say that's what they squeal like when thrown into a hot pan. Try this wonderful recipe adapted from Patricia Wells' book "Trattoria" to see for yourself.

1 1/4 cups dried porcini mushroom slices

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup pancetta or ham in thin strips

1 minced shallot

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup heavy cream

pinch of nutmeg

8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained

Parmesan cheese

Soak mushrooms in water for 2 hours. Remove from water, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Rinse mushrooms thoroughly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Strain the soaking liquid through several thicknesses of cheesecloth. Cook pancetta and shallot in oil over moderate heat until shallot is translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms, cooking 3 to 4 minutes more until fragrant. Add cream and nutmeg, cook for 2 minutes, then add soaking liquid. Cook over very low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until sauce has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. Add pasta to sauce, toss, remove from heat and let sit 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tom Harte's book, "Stirring Words," is available at local bookstores. A Harte Appetite airs Fridays 8:49 a.m. on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Contact Tom at semissourian.com or at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699.