Shiitake Mushroom

For trained foragers, the autumn forests around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, yield an abundant wild mushroom crop. Celebrate the harvest with this succulent pork roast, accented with mustard, another typical ingredient of the region. Begin the meal with a relish platter, and offer an American Pinot Noir or beer.

Not so many years ago dried "exotic" or wild mushrooms could be found only in fancy specialty shops, but no longer. Many good urban and suburban supermarkets now carry little packages of various varieties. And Asian markets are a great source for dried shiitake, also known as Chinese black mushrooms. The dried mushrooms are an optional addition to this soup, but they do add a deeper, woodsier flavor.

Since moving to Stockholm to join my Swedish husband, I'm learning to base my cooking on ingredients that are plentiful here. It seems that pork is more popular--and more readily available--than chicken (my usual standby) so I developed:

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Editors' note: The original recipe calls for Chinese wheat noodles, but we also like this soup made with somen (Japanese thin wheat noodles) or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles).

A break from the standard salsa. This versatile condiment is good on crusty bread as an appetizer, and adds zip to flank steak or skirt steak for an entrée.

This meatless dish can do double duty as a main course or a side dish.

Stew made with lamb may be known as the national dish, but beef is actually the most popular meat today. It turns up everywhere, including Tinakilly House in Rathnew, Ireland, where they offer this lovely dish. It's served with Champ (Green Onion Mashed Potatoes).

Potato gratin is, of course, the traditional side dish with roast beef, and this version is just right for a special occasion. Adding flavor are typical steak house ingredients, like mushrooms, garlic and herbs. Place a baking sheet in the oven on the rack below the gratin to catch any liquids that may bubble over.

When making the following dish, start one or two days ahead to allow time for marinating the pheasant and making stock. The extra time involved, much of it unattended, is necessary to develop the rich flavors of this savory pie. For those who want to forgo the pheasant, the pie would also be delicious (and less time-consuming) made with chicken. Substitute 1 pound chicken thighs, 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, and chicken broth; marinate the chicken and prepare the pie in the manner outlined below.

Lots of mushrooms and bacon flavor this traditional bread stuffing. It goes well with the Roast Turkey with Bacon, Tarragon and Applejack Gravy.

The ruffle-edged egg noodles called trenette absorb some of the rich broth in the rabbit mushroom sauce.