MIRACLE OR MUSHROOM?
JOZSEPH SCHULTZ AND HIS
WILD MUSHROOM CHOWDER
Chef Jozseph Schultz of the legendary India Joze restaurant in Santa Cruz has been involved with the Fungus Fair since its beginnings back in the 1970s. His wild mushroom soups and chowders always sell out. Joe was a classmate of David Arora, author of Mushrooms Demystified, at UCSC and says that mushroom foraging in the Santa Cruz Mountains fills him with awe.
“It’s a view of the miraculous,” he says. “The mushrooms always seem like they come from a different world.”
Mushroom fritters and chanterelle bacon—made by cooking slices of chanterelles in lots of oil over high heat until they become crunchy—are part of his Fungus Fair repertoire, but there’s no telling what he has up his sleeve this time.
WILD MUSHROOM CHOWDER
By Jozseph Schultz of India Joze restaurant in Santa Cruz
Serves 8
3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
4 cups water
1/4 pound dried porcini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound bacon*
1 pound chanterelle or cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch scallions
1/2 small bunch celery
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk or half and half
1/2 bunch flatleaf parsley, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme or dried
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- Boil potatoes in water with salt, bay leaf and porcinis until almost tender (about 10 minutes), reserve.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, fry bacon until almost crisp, remove. Add chanterelle mushrooms (or other mushrooms like oyster, cremini and morels) and fry until lightly browned. Add and melt butter; add red onion and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. Add bell peppers, scallions, celery and flour. Stir-fry briefly, careful not to burn flour.
- Add potatoes and water. Add milk. Stir over heat until lightly thickened.
- Stir in parsley, rosemary and thyme. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve chowder hot, spooning several pieces of bacon on top of each bowl.
- *If bacon is omitted, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons oil.
India Joze • 418 Front St., Santa Cruz
831.325.3633 • www.indiajoze.com
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
