Mushrooms species appropriate for this recipe: This recipe was intended for the commercial mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Because the mushroom is minimally cooked, this recipe is only appropriate for mushrooms that can be eaten raw in some quantity. The only other mushroom I suggest is porcini, Boletus edulis.

This recipe for a basic mushroom side-dish is from The Compleat Housewife; or, Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion by E. Smith in 1827. The structure is simple. One takes some stock, like chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. Bring it to a simmer in a saucepan or sauté pan with fresh “sweet herbs”.

Sweet herbs: I interpret the “bunch of Sweet-herbs” as a posy of herbs tied in a bundle, like the French bouquet garni. The tied herbs were easy to pull out of the dish after they had released some of their aromatics. Cooks had their own personal favorite combinations, so this is an area for creativity. Combinations might have included thyme, parsley, sweet marjoram, and savory, or sage, sweet marjoram, thyme, and mint. Thyme and parsley, use flat-leaf cultivators, are added to the dish just before serving to reinforce the distinct taste of thyme, and, through the parsley, to give the serving color and a sense of freshness.

Spice:

“Some spice” referred to spices that the cook felt moved to use. This is s second place where the recipe requires improvisation. While this is not a brown sauce, this broth to which we are added complexity and aroma will be thickened with egg yolk to become a sauce for the mushrooms. As the recipe specifically calls for nutmeg for the finish, I would not include nutmeg as a spice when preparing the stock.

Anchovies:

Anchovy was often used in 18th century English cooking. It is rich in umami. The small amounts of anchovy did not leave a taste of anchovy, rather a sense of a sense of the savory. If you don’t have anchovy on hand, a pinch of MSG would serve the same function within the recipe.

Cooking time. The stock, with the anchovy and aromatics is “set over the fire til hot.” I interpret this as slowly bringing the stock to a simmer, then letting it simmer until the aromatics have begun to meld with the flavor of the stock. As there is not much cooking past this step — the farm-raised mushrooms are only cooked until they have shrunk — decide on the cooking time by tasting the stock.

Seasoning. The recipe does not mention salt. Begin seasoning the stock after it has simmered for a while. Taste for salt again after the mushrooms have cooked and the egg yolk has been added as a thickener.

Nutmeg. Nutmeg is a common 18th century flavoring in English food. If you are not familiar with it, it is a strong flavor. It is best to work from the nutmeg nut which you will finely grate into the dish. As with the finish of thyme, and parsley, the nutmeg will stand out in the finished dish so grate from a whole nutmeg if you possibly can.

Lemon slices. Lemon was a luxury item in the 1720s. At the time, it would have elevated the dish’s status. The common farm-raised mushroom was much more expensive than turnips, but it was not the high status fungus. Morels and truffles were both higher status—true luxury foods. As with the thyme, parsley, and nutmeg, the lemon brights up the final dish so serve with lemon wedges, and then be sure to use them!

hrough cooking, simply reduced to levels that are perfectly safe if consumed in normal side-dish quantity. Keep servings of morels within a polite range — I suggest 50 g to 100 g. Toxicity is well documented at 250 g servings, and beyond.