Marx Food Dried Mushrooms

Just before I went into the hospital for my surgery Marx Foods sent me a care package of dried mushrooms and dried peppers to try.

I know my surgery was over a month ago but I am just now beginning to cook a little. It wiped me out. I feel like such a wimp! I am exhausted in the afternoons. Anyway, I decided to try out the mushrooms and see how I liked them. We don’t get a huge variety of mushrooms here in Texas, at least not in my area. I was amazed at the selection I was sent, and there are even more on the site. Dried mushrooms are great because the flavors are more intense and they keep practically forever.

I decided to make my Faux Stir Fry Dinner. I will be posting the recipe a little later, we love it because it is cheap easy and quick!

I  used the Maitake mushrooms. These have a unique, nutty, woodsy-rich flavor and a buttery texture.  The texture really held up well during cooking. I rehydrated them with some hot water for about 20 minutes before adding them (and the water) to my recipe.

The flavor was wonderful. The dish was a huge hit – Kyrie ate two helpings, which for her is amazing. The child looks like a spider-monkey. Even those who aren’t at all keen on mushrooms loved this dish. Best of all, the mushrooms are organic. They are a little expensive but  the flavors are rich enough that you can use them as a flavoring agent in almost anything. If you are not using the water that you rehydrated them in in your recipe be sure to save it for soup or stew. It holds a lot of flavor.

The flavors were fresh and intense, and I like the fact that you can use these whenever without worrying about having them spoil. Marx Foods is the company that does the environmentally friendly palm leaf disposable plates I  reviewed.

If you want to add some mushroomy goodness to your foods but don’t have access to a wide variety this is a great way to try some new flavors and textures.

image:marye audet