Pearls of the earth: Clusters of oyster mushrooms a growing venture for monks at Mepkin Abbey

A customer gave salon owner Lisa Hutto a different kind of Christmas gift. Opening the small brown box, Hutto was surprised to find pearly white "clusters" of oyster mushrooms inside.

"It looked like a sculpture, they were so beautiful," she says.

Hutto couldn't wait to show them to her son, Linne, a woodworker.

Hutto thought they were almost too pretty to eat. "I was hard-pressed to cut into them to make the recipe," but she did, preparing a wild mushroom risotto. "It was wonderful, just wonderful," she says.

Shoppers may be noticing these mushrooms in a few local stores, such as Piggly Wiggly, Newton Farms and Whole Foods. They're being grown by the monks at Mepkin Abbey in Berkeley County.

The mushrooms are a replacement venture for the abbey's once-thriving egg business, which was abandoned in 2007 after a challenge from PETA, the animal activist organization.

But oyster mushrooms are far less familiar to consumers than eggs, and not even as well-known as other mushrooms such as shiitakes and portobellos.

That doesn't intimidate the Rev. Joe Tedesco, the abbey's chief cook. With

the monks following a mostly vegetarian diet, he's found many ways to use oyster mushrooms. He is happy to spread the gospel.

"The oyster mushroom is a delicious mushroom, not as robust in flavor as some of the others." They are versatile and easy to cook with as well, he says.

Executive Chef Adam Close of Blossom in downtown Charleston is a devotee. The restaurant is among a number getting regular deliveries of Mepkin's mushrooms from Limehouse Produce.

"We use a lot," says Close, between 25-30 pounds a week for most of the year.

Currently on the menu are four dishes incorporating the mushroom: seared scallops, sauteed flounder, grilled King Salmon and pasta primavera.

Oyster mushrooms have an affinity for seafood and fish that earthier mushrooms might not. "Complementing, not overpowering," Close says.

Mepkin's mushrooms -- resembling clusters of oysters in color and shape -- are exceptionally clean and dry, he adds. Those characteristics lend to good caramelization in a hot pan. He says other mushrooms typically release liquid while cooking, which cools the pan and promotes steaming.

A minor drawback is a "fair amount of stem you have to cut away," Close says.

One of Tedesco's favorites is a mushroom, red wine and cream sauce that can be served simply over pasta as well as meat and fish.

"I often make it with fettuccine," says the Philadelphia native, who has been at the abbey for three years and its full-time cook for a year. "I make a big pot of it for the brothers on Sunday."

On a recent day at the abbey, Tedesco prepared a potato, leek, Gruyere and oyster mushroom gratin as the main dish for lunch. No meat was missed -- the casserole was sumptuous and bursting with savory "unami" flavor.

He's also fond of a mushroom barley dish and has discovered how to roast mushroom pieces at high heat with garlic and olive oil, which turns them into crispy bites as addictive as potato chips.

The mushroom growing began more than a year ago at Mepkin. More recently, the abbey has introduced bags of dried mushrooms in addition to the fresh ones in boxes.

Piggly Wiggly Carolina produce director Stan Ahl says the dried mushrooms are building up sales noticeably. "The appeal of the dried versus fresh is being able to buy them and use them over time."

About 25 Piggly Wiggly stores carry the mushrooms along with other Mepkin products, such as creamed honey. They may be found together in a display of their own.

Piggly Wiggly has had a long relationship with the abbey and its products, including the eggs.

Says David Smith, assistant director of produce, "We support local as much as we can. That's part of our niche, and hopefully we can help the abbey grow their business."

Ahl acknowledges the oyster is a more exotic type of mushroom that presents a learning curve for customers. Nevertheless, they "are quite interchangeable" with other types of mushrooms in recipes.

He hopes awareness will continue to grow, like it did with portobellos when they were new to the market years ago.

"We feel good going forward with this," says Ahl.

Recipes can be found on the boxes and on the abbey's website, www.mepkinabbey.org.

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at 937-4886.

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 pound oyster mushrooms

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter, divided use

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 4 large)

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 3/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 3/4 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (about 8 cups)

2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere or Gouda cheese (about 10 ounces)

Directions

Trim mushrooms and discard tough stems. Slice mushrooms and halve if large.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until mushrooms are tender and golden, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium high heat. Add leeks and thyme and saute until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add leek mixture to bowl with mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Whisk broth, cream, wine, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Layer 1/3 of potatoes on bottom of prepared dish. Top with half of mushroom-leek mixture, then 3/4 cup cheese. Top with half of remaining potatoes. Pour half of cream mixture over. Top with remaining mushroom-leek mixture and 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with remaining potatoes. Pour remaining cream mixture over; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake gratin uncovered until potatoes are tender and sauce bubbles thickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let gratin stand 30 minutes before serving.

-- The Rev. Joe Tedesco, Mepkin Abbey

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound oyster mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 shallots, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons or more red wine

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces fettuccine pasta

Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

Trim mushrooms and discard tough stems. Slice mushrooms and halve if large.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, stirring frequently until softened. Add mushrooms and saute until tender. Stir in the chicken broth, red wine and cream. Continue to cook over low heat until the flavors are blended and the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Serve mushroom sauce over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

-- The Rev. Joe Tedesco, Mepkin Abbey

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, diced

12 ounces trimmed and sliced oyster mushrooms

1 1/2 cups barley

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

4 cups boiling low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add all the ingredients except the stock. Saute, stirring frequently, until mushrooms begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a deep 2-quart baking dish and pour in the broth.

Cover tightly and bake for up to 60 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. The barley should have a slightly crunchy texture. If too hard, add some boiling water and cook 10 minutes more.

-- The Rev. Joe Tedesco, Mepkin Abbey