On Royal Trumpets......

    Royal trumpets are a variety of edible mushrooms related to the oyster mushroom family. They are  native to Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia more commonly Korea. They are also known as king oyster mushrooms, french horn mushrooms, king trumpet mushrooms, or trumpet royale.  They have a thick, meaty white stem and a small tan cap and  for the most part are harvested when the stems reach a length of 4 inches but they can grow up to 8 inches long.

    One of the main reasons why I enjoy working with these mushrooms is their versatility and adaptability to many cooking methods. Often these mushrooms are added to soups, stews, sauces, pasta, vegetable dishes, meats, and seafood, but they can easily steal the spotlight and become the star of the show. I love roasting the mushrooms whole with some garlic and thyme. Once roasted I submerge them in evoo, balsamic vinegar, and fresh herbs. I'll keep them in the oil vinegar solution until I'm ready to serve them. On pick up I'll take them out of the acidulated solution and slice them thinly into rounds. I pair the marinated roasted mushrooms with crispy parmesan bread crumbs, arugula and some charred onions. I like using this technique with the royal trumpets but I'll switch the components here and there, the possibilities are truly endless. Here are a couple of pictures of some royal trumpets I picked up at a local farmers market.