The Fungus Among Us: Mushroom-Lentil Summer Squash Sandwiches

The dollar decay table at the market had a bounty of semi-decayed mushrooms this past weekend. Normally the thought of eating anything but the freshest of mushrooms would leave me quivering in the corner, but recent experiences have changed my opinions on the matter. A while back market had mushrooms that weren't just decayed, I swear the were decomposing to the point where the mushrooms were growing their own mushrooms.  I was hesitant at first, but a guy told me you just give 'em a sniff and if they don't smell too offensive, they are OK to eat. I'm not sure how good that advice was, but my being here today is a testament to the fact that eating offensive foods doesn't always result in death. Or perhaps it's a testament to the knowledge of strangers, especially when dealing with eating old fungus.

Could be waaaaay more offensive

Anyway, the mushrooms this weekend weren't so bad.  Maybe a 3.7/10 on the offensive scale (where 1 = Jamie Oliver fresh and 10 = dumpster stew). If the mushrooms were more offensive I would probably just blend them into a soup, but since they were somewhat lively I thought I'd make something a little more solid. I had to work late in the lab and didn't have time to run to the store, so I decided to make some sandwiches with the stuff I had:

Mushroom-Lentil Summer Squash Sandwiches
Mushrooms (~1 lb), sliced
1 Onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
~2 small summer squash, sliced (zucchini would probably have been even better)
2-4 Tbl. butter
2 cups green lentils
beef broth
bread (i used french bread)
pepper jack cheese
2 bay leaves
1/2 sprig rosemary, very finely chopped
lettuce leafs
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

1. Boil the lentils in the broth with the bay leaves until done but still firm (~20-30min).  When they are done, strain them.
2. While the lentils cook, saute the chopped onion in a couple tablespoons of butter. Once they are soft, add the rosemary and garlic, and cook for about a minute.
3. Add the mushrooms.  Keep cooking the mushrooms on med-low heat until they are cooked down (I put the lid on for a little bit to speed things up). I added another tablespoon of butter here. While you wait for the mushrooms to reduce down, it might be a good time to cook the squash (see #5)
4. Add the lentils to the mushrooms and stir through to mix.
5.  Heat up a skillet to cook the squash.  A cast iron pan would work great.  I used a salt block because...why not? Toss the slices with some olive oil to coat, then place on the pre-heated pan and cook until browned.  When one side is browned flip over (~5-10 minutes each side).
6. Assemble on the french bread: the lentil/mushroom mixture, with some slices of squash on top, some lettuce/greenery, and some pepperjack cheese.  I toasted the pepperjack on the bread first to make it nice and melty.

The sandwiches turned out pretty well.  The mushrooms weren't overpowered, and there was a very subtle  taste of rosemary. I thought I would need to add something like Crystal sauce or Sweet Baby Ray's to make it edible, but it was pretty good as-is.

Here are some pictures (note: due to the termite swarms I had to do most of the cooking by the light from the handleabra, which didn't work so well for pictures)

 Washing even the grossest of mushrooms can greatly enhance their appearance. Even better: put the freshest mushrooms on top

 What's that? Did onions just whisper sweet nothings to the squash?  It's so hard to tell when everything is bathed in the romantic light of the handleabra.

Onions, mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary are cooked down with a little butter

Summer squash cooking on the salt block

 The finished product!  You might not be able to see it but there is a layer of pepper jack cheese on top of the lettuce.

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