I found a log liberally covered with lovely fresh oyster mushrooms last week. I wanted a tasty, simple dinner for the first night out at Bide-A-Wee. Grilled chicken is great, except when the fat drips on the coal, creating towering gouts of flame that carbonize the skin whilst the meat remains cold and bloody. I love the "iron on the fire" method.
Brown the chicken nicely over the coals.
Transfer to a cast iron skillet, and when it has rendered a bit of fat, add some garlic and onions, and some kale.
When the kale has wilted, toss in the oyster mushrooms or other fungi of your choice. Let everything get very simpatico and well acquainted.
Timing is not crucial here as long as the heat is mild. You can have another glass of wine and read another article in the NY Times magazine if you like, or just sit and see what birds come to the feeder. With this withering heat back upon us, we may wish for summer's end ASAP, but it will be here soon enough. No need to rush it.
We served this with pasta. I made the simplest of sauces, just deglazing the pan with a little water (Chateau Sink, as Jacques Pépin calls it), swirling in a bit of butter at the end.
Text and photos copyright 2010 by Brett Laidlaw
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