The Way to Tell Good Mushrooms From Poisonous Mushrooms

WARNING: This material is from a cookbook that's over 100 years old. It's for historical purposes only. Use more current resources to actually pick wild mushrooms. Let's be careful out there!!!

Overall

• Always err on the side of caution when picking mushroom
• Never touch a mushroom that you are not sure what the species is

Common Safe to Eat Louisiana Mushrooms

1. Oyster mushrooms (left) are a delicious species of mushroom commonly found around decomposing trees or anywhere around bark. They are said to be the best eating mushroom in Louisiana.
   
2. Boletes are also safe to consume and they run rampant in the Louisiana area. They are said to have caps that are clearly different than the stems, and pores on the bottoms of the                                                                             
3. Portobello's, while not very common in Louisiana, are edible and delicious in many different ways.
    
   

Summary

Typically, mushrooms in areas where cows and sheep have pasteurized are safe to eat. Also mushrooms with pink undercaps, that slowly turn brown as they age are safe. Never eat a mushroom without understanding what is safe to eat. Good luck and happy foraging.

Source — Cooking In the Old Creole Days
Prepared by Noah Beeson
Louisiana Anthology
September 13, 2022

Boiled Fish

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 Large red fish or sheephead
• 1 Large onion
• 1 Large head of garlic
• 2 Large carrots
• 1 Lemon sliced fine
• Bay Leaves
• Celery
• Parsley (stems and leaves)
• Salt and Pepper

Sauce

• 2 Eggs
• 2 tablespoons sweet oil
• Parsley
• Green onions
• Olives
• 1 tablespoon apers sauce
• Vinegar 
• Salt and pepper
• Lettuce leaves
• Lemons thinly sliced 
• Radishes

Directions

Fish

1. Clean thoroughly a large red fish or sheephead.
2. Boil a pot of water. Once water is boiling add onion, garlic, carrots, lemon, bay leaves, celery, and parsley. Boil all vegetables until they are soft enough to mash with a potato masher.
3. After you have mashed the vegetables, tie the fish in a towel and place it in boiling water to boil for half an hour. 
4. When done, put the fish (still in the water) aside to cool. You may begin to prepare the sauce while the fish is cooling. 

Sauce

1. Boil eggs.
2. Once boiled, rub egg yolks with sweet oil, using drop by drop.
3. Chop whites of eggs fine with parsley, green onions, and olives.
4. Mix chopped ingredients with capers sauce, vinegar, pepper, and salt. 
5. Plate fish on a platter, and garnish with crisp lettuce leaves, on which are thin slices of lemon and radishes.
6. Pour sauce on fish and serve cold. 

    

Source — New Orleans Cook Book
Prepared by Morgan Setliff
Louisiana Anthology
September 12, 2022

Sesame Chicken & Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 1 pound of chopped chicken
• 3 egg
• 1 teaspoonful of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoonful of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoonful of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoonful of chili powder
• 1 teaspoonful of black pepper
• 1 teaspoonful of sesame oil
• One half teaspoonful of salt
• One half cup of cornstarch
• One cup of soy sauce
• One half cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoonfuls of cornstarch
• One quarters cup of water
• Sesame seeds
• Green Onions
• 1 tablespoonful of butter
• 2-3 cups of cooked rice
• Half a cup of frozen mixed vegetables

Directions

1. Add butter, frozen mixed vegetables, and 2 eggs to a pan and let it cook down.
2. Once the ingredients have been cooked down, add the cooked rice to the pan and stir.
3. Once the eggs and rice have been mixed, add half a cup of soy sauce to the pan.
4. While the eggs and rice are cooking, add the pound of chopped chicken to a bowl along with the egg, garlic powder, black pepper, chili powder, salt, and cornstarch.
5. Mix the chicken and seasoning together thoroughly.
6. Once mixed, fry the chicken in oil until golden brown.
7. Remove the chicken from the oil but DO NOT throw away the oil.
8. Using that same oil, add some red pepper flakes, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, cornstarch, and water.
9. Once that is mixed together add your chicken in the mixture to give it nice coating.
10. Combine the sauced chicken and the fried rice together.
11. Throw some sesame seeds and green onions on top for extra flavor.

Source — My Home
Prepared by Gavin Sylvan
Louisiana Anthology
August 10, 2022

Corn Jelly Daube

Ingredients

• Four lbs. of round of beef
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Clove
• 1 Tablespoonful of vinegar
• 3 Pig feet
• 8 Calves feet
• 1 Carrot
• 2 Eggs

Directions

1. Season the four lbs. round of beef with salt, pepper, a little garlic, bay leaf, and clove.
2. Lard well through and through.
3. Sprinkle a tablespoonful of vinegar on the lard and let it stand for 24 hours.
4. Put the daube in a pot with a small piece of lard.
5. Cover the pot with a heavy cover on a slow fire.
6. Let the ingredients smother for about 4 hours or until thoroughly done.
7. Take off the cover and let it fry a light brown, then remove it from flame.
8. Boil 3 pig feet and 8 calves feet steadily until they leave the bone.
9. Add one carrot to boil for about 30 minutes.
10. Slice in length the carrot to be placed at the bottom of the bowl when the daube is ready to be served.
11. Crack 2 eggs, white and shells should be beaten together and boiled with jelly briskly.
12. Strain the eggs through a thick flannel or cloth.
13. Mix the daube gravy with jelly.
14. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes, then slow pour over the daube.
15. Set the ingredients in a cold place, when cold, take the lard from the top of the spoon, and with a round edge knife detach carefully and daube and turn into a round plate.
16. Avoid breaking jelly, place the plate on top of the bowl and turn it over.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Gavin Sylvan
Louisiana Anthology
August 10, 2022

Egg Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoonfuls of butter
• 5 hard boiled eggs
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt

Directions

1. Melt 3 tablespoonfuls of butter.
2. Stir in 5 yolks from hard boiled eggs.
3. Once stirred together, mash until very smooth.
4. While mashing until smooth, add cayenne pepper and salt as needed.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Gavin Sylvan
Louisiana Anthology
August 10, 2022

Oyster Soup

Ingredients

• 2 quarts of oysters with the liquor
• 3 quarts of water
• 8 slices of lean ham
• 2 onions
• 6 egg yolk
• 4 tablespoonfuls of wheat flour
• 1 pint of rich milk
• 1 teaspoonful of white pepper
• 1 half of grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Boil down 3 quarts of water, 2 quarts of oysters with liquor, 8 slices of lean ham, and 2 onions until half of the quantity.
2. Run what is left of the ingredients through a cullender.
3. Add liquor alone to the pot and let that come to a boil.
4. While the oysters are boiling, beat up 6 egg yolks with 4 tablespoonfuls of wheat flour and 1 pint of rich milk.
5. Stir this into the oysters liquor, after it has been strained and made boiling hot.
6. Add a quart of raw oysters and the whole thicken a little on the fire.
7. Add one teaspoonful of white pepper and a half of grated nutmeg.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Gavin Sylvan
Louisiana Anthology
August 10, 2022

Beef and Spinach Pasta

Beef and Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of uncooked pasta
• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 16 ounce of pasta sauce
• 14 ounce chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 2 cups spinach
• 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese
• salt

Directions

1. Cook pasta al dente and drain.
2. Brown ground beef and drain excess fat.
3. Add garlic, pasta sauce, broth, Italian seasoning, and salt.
4. Simmer 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional spinach.
6. Add pasta and cheese and stir while on heat.
7. Serve.

Source — My home
Prepared by Travis Kelly
Louisiana Anthology
July 19, 2022