Wishing Margaret Maida a happy birthday week. Her birthday was last Sunday.
Summer is winding down. Next week the Chilmark Flea continues on Wednesdays and Saturdays 9 to 2 pm, until Sept. 7.
Last week’s torrential rain was a white-knuckle driving experience, reminding me how important it is to slow down, and when you need to pull over and stop. It was lovely and a relief to pull into a sheltered parking spot in the up-Island Cronig’s lot. Driving home, there were deep puddles in unexpected places, and I was reminded of the importance of slowing down when approaching a puddle. When your car plows through a puddle, the water spreads out in a tall splash away from the sides of your car and onto the windshield of the car in the other lane, temporarily blinding them.
Rain is good for mushrooms, and the large puffballs of late August and September dot the lawn. They turn into the brown balls that when we were kids, we used to love to stomp and puff out their spores. My dad loved that they are lycoperdons. In Greek “Lyco” means wolf, and “perdon” means “to break wind,” so they are wolf fart mushrooms. A few times we were lucky enough to see them burst from a raindrop.
My grandmother taught me how to harvest and cook them. They are white or light brown, large, firm, round, have no gills, and when sliced vertically, look like a pure white marshmallow or fresh mozzarella, with no sign of a future cap or stem, and no hint of yellow or green, or spots from insects. Never ever eat a mushroom you aren’t 100 percent sure about.
They are mild and super, sautéed or used like tofu, or in place of chickpeas when making hummus. I substitute a pound of puffballs for a can of chickpeas. Cut off the dirty ends and dice into 1-inch pieces. Preheat the oven to 275°. Spread out on a lightly oiled or nonstick baking sheet, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, or until toasty brown and completely cooked through. Squeeze to compress the pieces (note: they end up measuring 2 cups when packed down), and add to the bowl of a food processor or a high-speed blender. The blender gives the smoothest result.
Add ½ tsp. minced fresh garlic, juice from half a lemon, a pinch of cumin, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. tahini, and ¼ cup water, and purée until smooth. Next, start drizzling in ¼ cup of olive oil and 2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil slowly, like you’re making mayonnaise. If the mixture seems difficult to purée, add a splash of lemon or water until the blades of the processor move. Use your instinct to make a smooth purée.
After all the oil has been added, double-check the seasoning for salt and lemon; adjust to your taste.
Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 4:30 pm at the Chilmark library, Joan Nathan speaks about her new book, “My Life in Recipes: Food, Family and Memories.” Joining Joan is Susie Middleton, also a cookbook author and food writer. Admission is free. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Chilmark Public Library. For more information, please call 508-645-3360.
Sig Van Raan updates us with this report on the Chilmark Softball season: “On a brilliant Sunday morning, two high-spirited games were played. In between the games, the annual award ceremony was held to acknowledge individual achievements. The MVP award (most valuable person) was given to Tanner Weiss, our erstwhile scorekeeper. Tanner brings a book with him to every game, and combines keeping score with reading highbrow literature. The vaunted Howie Hustle award was given to one of the senior players, Paul (the lefty batter) who, like fine wine, seems to get better each season. Ed Eger hit his third or maybe fourth Kerouac (A fly ball hit On the Road). Although this was the last ‘official’ game of the season, because Labor Day weekend comes early this year, we are hoping to field enough for a game next Sunday.”
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Claire Ganz, cganz@live.com.
