I’m getting my bathroom renovated and the construction company is comprised of a group of hard working Polish immigrants and I’ve been giving them bags of produce to take home from my garden, where my tomatoes have exploded and I haven’t been able to keep up with processing them. One of them, a young man who can’t be more than 20 years old but has probably been working since he was in his teens, said they reminded him of his grandmother’s garden back in Poland.

Realizing that they were most likely homesick, I showed them my 5lb bag of chanterelles that I foraged from a local park and asked if they would like some. After a lot of excitement, I gave them each about a pound to take home. The boy looked at them and said, almost too quietly for me to hear, that his mother will be so happy. Quite frankly, it was way too early in the day for me to be crying, but the ninja onions started chopping themselves.

I then asked how they traditionally prepare chanterelles because while I can make all sorts of fancy high end things with them, I wanted to taste them how they must remember them, the recipes from their childhood that they left on the other side of the world, that the boy wants to bring to his home so his family could have them too. One of them said his mother used to sautee them in butter with onions, scrambled egg, and served with a dollop of sour cream, with toast so that’s what I set out to make today.

I had it with some homemade bread and black trumpet chicken liver pate. It was absolutely delicious and didn’t overpower the delicate flavor of the mushrooms.

In Polish, chanterelles are called “kurki” meaning “chicks” and for sure their bright yellow colors and furled stature against the dark background of the forest makes you think of tiny little chicks in the woods. In Ukrainian, which borders Poland and where my husband’s grandparents are from, they are called “lisiczki”, or foxy ladies. I absolutely love their names!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 handful chanterelles, cleaned and halved
• 2 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Minced chives for garnish
• Sour cream (optional)
• Toast (optional)

1. Over medium high heat, sautee chanterelles and onions in butter until onions are fragrant and chanterelles are crisped around the edges.
2. Beat egg with milk and add to pan, scramble until just set. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with minced chives.
3. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and toast.