Fresh black trumpet mushrooms - the season is now!

From the chanterelle family, black trumpets result in the silkiest texture when cooked.  Wash the stems under a stream of running water, then saute in a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat.  A hint of salt is nice, followed by a splash of a good, deep red wine such as a zinfandel.  Finish with a pat of butter stirred in off the heat.

A trip north this past weekend resulted in a great visit to the Tamworth farmers' market, and an awesome score of freshly foraged wild mushrooms, deep green bunches of celery, and succulent red bell peppers as big as Italian eggplants -- perfect timing for turning a recent purchase of New Roots Farm grass-fed ground beef and Barker's Farm heirloom potatoes into a luscious, comforting Sunday night dinner!  Tonight's dish: Pan seared grass-fed beef burgers with a luscious black trumpet mushroom-zinfandel sauce, garnished with Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and accompanied by buttermilk mashed potatoes with leeks, red bell pepper, celery leaf and aged sheep's milk cheese.  Phew, I'm out of breath.

No worries if you can't make it to Tamworth next Saturday for these super sweet and crunchy bell peppers!  ;~)  New Roots Farm (who vends at various Seacoast markets) also grows these babies.  Leeks from Stout Oak Farm are also available and make an outstanding addition to any potato dish--hot or cold.  Also from Tamworth, aged sheep's milk cheese from The Big Farm, Madison, NH (sorry, no website available). 

THE BEST mashed potatoes ever made in this kitchen: 'Yukon Gold' from Barker's Farm mashed with modest amounts of buttermilk and sweet cream butter, folded with sauteed leeks, red bell pepper and chopped celery leaves.  A final touch includes grated aged sheep's milk cheese (think tangier, nuttier Swiss), perfectly complemented by the super sweet-yet-tangy Sun Gold cherries.  OhMyGodSoGood.  Super decadent!