Psalted Psathyrella Snacks
One of my high school classmates is recovering from major surgery and someone suggested we contribute recipes for a vegan cookbook for her. I’m not vegan, but I try not to be prejudiced against vegetarian dishes merely because of conservative principles and appreciation for the pork shoulder my wife made for our dinner party last night. I’m not knowledgeable in the area of vegan cooking though, and I didn’t think the Irish Seven-Course Dinner would quite fit, vegan though it is, and elegant in its simplicity.1
Pick lots of fresh psathyrella mushrooms. Some of them will dry properly while still in the ground, but some will just rot, depending on rain and sun, and they need to be fresh for step 2.
Sprinkle lots of salt and pepper on them.
Dry them in direct sun on a grate. Be sure and take them indoors temporarily if rain is expected. Dry them until crispy.
You can eat them right away, or store them with one of those do-not-eat-this, soak-up-moisture packets you've saved from something else you bought.
This will probably work with any thin, fragile-looking mushroom, even poisonous ones, but if you don't know what kind of mushroom it is, go to the store instead. I only do this because psathyrella come up ever summer in my front yard, and I tested them on myself first before risking my family. Also, while psathyrella are fine eaten raw, or fried in butter on toast, their flavor concentrates and changes in the drying— perhaps there is the same sort of oxidation as with tea.
You can try regular button mushrooms, but they're chubby and I don't know how they'd dry. You'd probably want to use an oven at low heat. If you do try outdoors, it is not strictly necessary to use an office steel-mesh trash can as in the illustration.
If you do depart from the exact specifications of this recipe, however, what you end up with will be Pseudo Psalted Psathyrella Snacks.
A six-pack plus a potato.