An art retreat is a lot like summer camp, only without the mean girls, color war and lights out after taps. This year there were 23 of us in this lovely setting at the Vina de Lestonnac Retreat Center in Temecula.
I brought my mosaics. There were painters, sewing fanatics, jewelry makers, paper artists, beaders, journal makers and more.
Sitting across from me was a new member, Esther Kelli Marks, felting an enormous witch’s hat for Halloween. Her quirky sense of humor has kept me in stitches (pun intended) the entire week.
Esther lives in Snohomish, Washington, and is an active member of the Sonoma County Mycological Society – that’s mushrooms, to you and me.
“It’s a nonprofit that focuses on mycology education,” she explained. “Once a month, a writer of mushroom identification books might talk to the club or maybe a psychologist might talk about mycophobia.”
In the area, she said there weren’t a lot of poisonous mushrooms that could potentially kill you to be afraid of, except for three: death cap, destroying angel and false morel.
“Those are the ones to look out for,” she said, adding, “In spring and fall we take field trips to places where we know there are mushrooms to look for, the Lower Cascades, eastern Washington or San Juan Islands.”
Esther’s dad was a mountaineer and would frequently take the family hiking.
“At some point, I became fascinated with mushrooms, because I didn’t like to eat them,” she said. “I wanted to know, what is this organism? What is its place in the world? I discovered they have their own kingdom and started learning about them. Oyster mushrooms are used for remediation of oil spills, for example.”
One mushroom Esther actually does like to eat is chanterelles, and she created a chowder she makes every fall for the family.
“They are a meaty, solid substitute for meat,” she noted. “I was looking for an entry-level recipe and modified one for potato chowder. I grow potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, fennel, zucchini, nasturtium – they’re delicious in salads – pumpkin, pears and apples.”
She identifies as a lacto-ovo-pescatarian.
“I grew up in Texas and ate a lot of meat. If I eat it after 5 p.m. it gives me nightmares, so I just don’t,” she said. “My husband decided at one point to go vegan after watching ‘Forks over Knives,’ so we tried that for eight months, but switched to vegetarianism.
“I also make a mushroom seasoning. I dry the mushrooms and pulverize them in my Vitamix,” she added. “I add some dehydrated vegetable broth powder for the salt/garlic taste. Just give me some brown rice and a shaker, and I’m ready to go.”
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
Esther Kelli Marks’ Chanterelle Potato Chowder
Ingredients:
• 1 pound fresh chanterelles
• Pinch salt
• 1-2 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 3/4 cup chopped leeks
2 celery stalks trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound Gold Yukon potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Pull chanterelles apart into meaty-looking chunks. (Tearing yields better texture than cutting.) Heat a dry iron skillet (or other seasoned pan) to medium. Add chanterelles and dry-sauté them to bring out their moisture.
2. When mushrooms stop producing moisture, add pinch of salt; continue to sauté until remaining moisture is gone. Then add salted butter and sauté until you see some crisp edges. Turn off heat. When skillet is back to room temperature, remove mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat same skillet to medium-high and melt unsalted butter. Add onion, leeks and celery, and sauté until softened, mixing often. Stir in flour until smooth to form a roux. Transfer onion mixture to a large pot. Add stock, cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (mixture will thicken), then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until potatoes are fork tender or to your preference, about 20 minutes. Add chanterelles and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook another 2-5 minutes. Serve with crusty croutons, hearty crackers or the classic, oyster crackers.