The Earthy Delights Recipe Blog
Celebrating wild harvested, traditional & artisanal foods
Beef and Guinness stew is a pub classic with its roots firmly bedded in the deep soil of Irish cooking and culture. What could be more Irish than dark, creamy Guinness stout and that Irish mainstay, potatoes? Add carrots and onions (both vegetables that grow well in Ireland’s often fickle climate), and a few modest bits of beef, and you have the makings of a hearty meal fit for St. Patrick himself. Mushrooms may not be an ingredient that immediately …
Lobster mushrooms are one of the most distinctive of edible wild mushrooms. Some say that they get their unusual name from their flavor, which is reminiscent of shellfish. It seems more likely that their bright orange-red exterior and snowy white flesh (which looks a lot like cooked lobster) are the source of their colorful appellation. The lobster mushroom is something of an oddity in the mushroom world, which certainly has more than its share of unusual characters. The lobster mushroom …
This simple, much-beloved soup, made with the large, meaty mushrooms called “borowik” in Polish, is traditionally served on Christmas Eve. Of course, there are as many different versions of this soup as there are Polish cooks (and their numerous descendants). Here is our recipe, which we think is a very nice version indeed. Here in the U.S., the borowik is most commonly known as the boletus edulis, king bolete or porcini mushroom. Mushroom lovers at home and around the world …
Hearty and satisfying braised lamb shanks make a perfect winter dinner for two, but if you’re in the mood for an intimate gathering of friends, it’s easy to scale up this recipe with hardly any extra effort. Here’s the secret: it’s made in a slow cooker (sometimes known as a crock pot). Once the initial prep is out of the way, everything goes into the cooker where it simmers quietly on its own for hours, filling the house with the …
Cherries are the fruit of summer. First to appear are sweet cherries, large crisp globes of juicy flesh, perfect for eating fresh by the handful. A few weeks later, tart (or sour) cherries arrive, bringing with them a frenzy of pie-baking, canning and freezing. There are literally dozens (perhaps hundreds) of cultivars of both sweet and tart cherries, many well-known, others grown only in the small towns and hamlets where they’ve been nurtured in obscurity for centuries. Tart cherries are …
It’s hard to imagine anything more appetizing than the house-filling fragrance of simmering bo kho, the classic Vietnamese beef stew. For those die-hard carnivores who shy away from Asian food, this dish is the perfect introduction to a new world of flavors. This is rib-sticking comfort food at its finest, with a new dimension that comes from the creative use of the intensely aromatic herbs and spices that infuse it with the characteristic flavors of Southeast Asia. Vietnam has long …
Think of this savory stew as a sort of spicy Korean bouillabaisse. It’s based on the kind of traditional, home-style soup that’s a staple in Korean households. We’ve perhaps taken a few liberties with the ingredients, but we’d like to think that our version is still true to the spirit of the original recipe. This is the kind of warming soup that’s just the ticket for a cold, raw & rainy afternoon. It’s also a soup that’s perfect for …
The fresh flavor of fiddleheads, that wild spring vegetable with the charming name, is distinctive, but not assertive. It’s these qualities that make fiddleheads so versatile. They can be prepared in any number of traditional ways, but they also make a fine substitute for just about any green vegetable. Think of any dish that calls for green beans, asparagus or even broccoli and use fiddleheads instead! But before you add fresh fiddleheads to your favorite recipe, they need a little …
This simple, velvety soup with the aroma of an autumn woodland allows the delicately sweet flavor of chestnuts to shine. Fresh chestnuts are a popular staple in fall soups, both on restaurant menus and in the homes of creative cooks. Since chestnuts are a seasonal delicacy and aren’t available for most of the year, it’s a great idea to enjoy them as much as possible now while they’re fresh and at their best. Most recipes for chestnut soup pair them with …
When the weather takes a sharp turn toward the cool side, there is nothing more welcome than a bowl of hot, rib-sticking homemade soup. This hearty wild mushroom and barley soup is satisfying on so many different levels, that it just can’t miss. First, and perhaps most importantly, it delivers a great, big mouthful of robust flavor. How can something with just a handful of simple ingredients taste so great? Let’s give credit where credit is due: it starts with wild mushrooms. Mushrooms are known for their umami, a Japanese …