There is, in my and many locals’ opinion, nothing better than a Hazel Dell mushroom. They are quite simply the best mushrooms you can buy around here. They really make a meal.

Now, I don’t eat red meat, so the entire meal was actually a grilled steak topped with a mushroom saute, hon tsai tai, and freshly baked bread with Camembert cheese. I just ate the side dishes…

I sautéed some shiitake and cremini mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I added a little white wine and let them cook a little before adding a tablespoon or so of dehydrated chopped shallots from Savory Spice Shop. Everything is better when Savory Spice Shop is involved!

And my dinner was: bread and cheese, mushrooms, and greens… but it was perfect for me.

Savory Spice Shop makes everything in my kitchen possible. I love these shrimp.

I made up a rub with:

• 1/2 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB granulated onion
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 TB olive oil

I had thawed some frozen shrimp, peeled them leaving the tail, de-veined the suckers, and coated them in this spice mixture. They grilled for just a few minutes and were delicious.

I served them with my Grilled Tomatillo Guacamole.

Spring garlic smells absolutely amazing. Especially when you cut into it.

I had some spring garlic from Jay Hill Farm, and fresh shiitake and cinnamon cap mushrooms from Hazel Dell, so I wanted to put them together in a dish.

I decided to make a stir-fry with some carrots and firm tofu that had been frozen, thawed, and pressed.

First, I sliced 4 bulbs of the spring garlic, 1 carrot, 1/2 pound of mushrooms, and cubed the tofu.

Next, I heated 1 TB of olive oil and 1 TB of butter in a wok. When that was hot, I added 1 TB of freshly grated ginger and let that get hot before adding the mushrooms and tofu. I moved this around in the wok a bit to distribute to buttery goodness as evenly as possible before adding the spring garlic and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.

I let this cook on medium high for 10 minutes or so before adding a little more olive oil and the carrots.

Next, I squeezed 1/2 lemon, mixed it up, and added a big handful of coarsely chopped turnip greens. I mixed those in, sprinkled the top with a tablespoon or so of Cambodian Lemongrass Curry Powder from Savory Spice Shop, mixed again, and let it cook a few minutes until the greens turned a vibrant green.

I served it over brown rice and drizzled a little the following dressing, which made enough to drizzle on two plates plus extra to put in my Spring Garlic Broth:

• 2 TB soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp Sambal Oelek (Asian Chili Paste)
• 1 TB Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)

Enjoy.

I love having dehydrated shallots on hand because they are really convenient, especially when I don’t have much time to make a meal, because I don’t have to peel, chop, or clean up.

I purchase mine at Savory Spice Shop.