Content
- 1 Description of the liver fungus
- 2 Edible mushroom mother-in-law tongue or not
- 3 How to cook liverwort mushroom
- 4 How to cook liverwort mushroom: recipes for every day
- 4.1 How to fry liver mushroom with onions
- 4.2 How to fry liver mushrooms with sour cream
- 4.3 How to cook fried liverwort mushrooms with potatoes
- 4.4 Cooking liver mushroom cutlets
- 4.5 How to cook stewed liver mushrooms with carrots and cauliflower
- 4.6 Mother-in-law mushroom kebab recipe tongue
- 4.7 How to cook roast with mushrooms mother-in-law tongue
- 5 Liver mushroom recipes for the winter
- 6 Useful properties of liver mushrooms
- 7 Is it possible to grow mother-in-law mushrooms at home
- 8 Interesting facts about the liverwort
- 9 Conclusion
The liverwort mushroom is an unusual, but valuable and quite tasty edible mushroom. There are many options for its preparation. It is interesting to study them to get the most out of the mushroom.
Description of the liver fungus
The liverwort mushroom can also be found under the names mother-in-law's tongue, common liverwort, hepatic tinder fungus and common liverwort. In the photo of an ordinary liverwort, it can be seen that the main part of the fungus is its cap, or fruiting body, it can reach up to 30 cm in diameter. In young fruit bodies, it is shapeless, but over time it acquires a fan-shaped or lingual shape. The color of the liverwort is bright red, dark purple or red-brown, the surface is shiny and smooth, slimy in wet weather. The underside of the cap is creamy or yellowish in color, with small short tubes, quickly turns red when touched.
Outwardly, the liverworm is very similar to a real liver.
A photo and description of the liverwort fungus report that it does not have a pronounced leg; it is attached to a tree trunk on a short and rigid pseudopod. The flesh of the fruit bodies is firm and firm, sour in taste.
How and where does the mother-in-law mushroom grow
You can meet the liverwort in Russia everywhere in a temperate climate - it grows in the middle lane and in Siberia, in the Far East. For the growth of mother-in-law, the language usually chooses deciduous and mixed forests, grows on tree trunks. It can usually be seen on oaks and chestnuts. Often the liverwort is adjacent to larch, spruce and pine trees.
The liverwort fungus belongs to the category of annuals, usually appears on the trunks in a single order, and is located at the bottom of the trunk, almost at the very ground. Collect it from mid-July to October.
The liverwort grows on deciduous trunks at the very roots
Edible mushroom mother-in-law tongue or not
Mature liverworts are not suitable for eating because their flesh becomes too tough. But young fruiting bodies are quite edible and highly valued in cooking. They have a delicate taste with a slight sourness.
Doubles and their differences
The photo and description of the liver fungus are so atypical that it is difficult to confuse it with other mushrooms. But the liverwort also has twins, similar mushrooms with minor differences.
Bristly tinder fungus
The liverwort and the bristly-haired tinder fungus are similar in size, structure and color. However, mushrooms have fundamental differences. So, the bristly-haired tinder fungus most often has a fruiting body, which consists of several accrete caps at once. Its color is not as intense as that of a liverwort, but rather a red-orange at a young age and very dark at maturity. The flesh of the bristly-haired tinder fungus is brown, not pink, and the surface of the fungus is covered with fine hairs.
Lumpy tinder fungus
Another double of the liverwort is a tuberous tinder fungus, which grows mainly on deciduous stumps and fallen trees. The similarity between mushrooms lies in the fan-shaped structure of the cap, as well as in the tubular structure of the hymenophore.
Mushrooms can be distinguished from each other by color, the tuberous tinder fungus usually has a light brown color without a pronounced reddish tint. The lower layer of the fruiting body of the fungus becomes dark gray or brown with age.
You can also distinguish a bumpy tinder fungus by the woody smell of pulp, and you can find it on tree trunks not only in late summer and autumn, but throughout the year. The mushroom is not suitable for consumption.
How to cook liverwort mushroom
Edible mother-in-law's tongue is actively used in cooking. There are many recipes for cooking woody liverwort; you can use it both with hot dishes and cold snacks.
How to clean a liver mushroom
Before preparing mother-in-law, the tongue must first of all be processed:
- Only the lower part of the liverwort, which has a dense structure, is suitable for eating. The soft part is completely removed with a sharp blade during cleaning; it must be cut from the edge towards the leg.
- Since the liverwort is large enough, after cleaning it is cut into several parts, so it is easier to boil and cook it.
Before cooking the liver mushroom, it must be soaked - and not less than for 8 hours. The liverwort is poured with cold water, the liquid is regularly drained and replaced with a new one. This should be done as the water turns red under the influence of the released juice.
How and how much to cook liver mushroom
After soaking, the liverwort needs to be boiled. The soaked pulp is poured with a fresh portion of water and put on fire for 20 minutes. The broth from under the mother-in-law's tongue must be drained, and the liverwort itself is used for further processing.
Before cooking, the liverwort needs to be soaked for a long time
What can be cooked from liverwort
Liver mushroom belongs to the category of universal, you can cook many simple and healthy dishes from it. Recipes for liverwort mushroom suggest using it:
- as part of soups and hot snacks;
- in the second courses;
- in combination with pasta, potatoes and any cereals;
- salted and pickled.
You can cook the liverwort immediately after harvesting, or you can preserve it and use it in the winter months.In both variants, the liverwort retains valuable properties and excellent taste.
How to cook liverwort mushroom: recipes for every day
Basically, the liver mushroom is fried, this cooking method is the easiest. There are quite a few recipes for cooking liver mushroom, so you can often use mother-in-law's tongue and not be afraid of monotony.
How to fry liver mushroom with onions
A simple and budget recipe suggests frying mushroom pulp with onions. The algorithm looks like this:
- pre-boiled liverwort is cut into small pieces;
- grease a preheated pan with oil and pour mushroom pulp and 300 g of onions, cut into half rings, onto it;
- the liverwort and onions are fried for 20 minutes;
- a couple of minutes before cooking add 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper to your taste.
The finished dish goes well with pasta and potatoes.
The easiest way to fry an ordinary liverwort with onions and herbs
How to fry liver mushrooms with sour cream
One of the most delicious recipes is to fry the liverwort with sour cream. The recipe looks like this:
- fresh mushrooms are cleaned, soaked and boiled for 20 minutes;
- boiled mushrooms are washed in cold water and cut into thin strips;
- the mushroom pulp is fried in a pan for about 15 minutes;
- then add the chopped onions and fry until the onions are golden brown.
After that, 2 tablespoons of sour cream in equal amounts are diluted with water and filled with mushrooms and onions, salt and pepper to taste. It takes about 5 minutes to stew the dish, then add a little finely chopped dill to the mushrooms and sour cream, mix, cover and remove from the stove.
How to cook fried liverwort mushrooms with potatoes
It turns out very tasty if you cook a liver mushroom in combination with crumbly potatoes:
- Boiled mushrooms in the amount of 1 kg are cut into thin slices.
- Dice 500 g of boiled potatoes and 2 onions.
- The mushroom pulp is fried in a pan until the moisture evaporates.
- Then add 2 large spoons of quality sunflower or olive oil, put onions and potatoes in a pan and fry the ingredients together until golden brown.
The finished dish is salted and pepper to taste, and greens and a little sour cream can also be added to the liverwort a couple of minutes before readiness.
Liverwort goes well with potatoes and vegetables
Cooking liver mushroom cutlets
Nutritious cutlets can be made from mushroom pulp, which are in no way inferior to meat ones in taste. This requires:
- boil the liverwort, and then pass it through a meat grinder along with 1 large onion;
- add a raw egg, a little flour and salt to the resulting minced meat;
- make ordinary cutlets from a viscous thick mixture and roll them in flour or breading;
- fry in an oiled frying pan until golden brown.
How to cook stewed liver mushrooms with carrots and cauliflower
Mother-in-law's tongue is very tasty if you stew it along with vegetables. For this you need:
- boil and fry fresh mushroom pulp in olive oil;
- in a separate frying pan, stew under the lid a couple of large spoons of fresh chopped carrots, no more than 200 g of cauliflower and the same amount of boiled beans, preferably white;
- mix mushrooms and vegetables, then season the hot dish with butter.
You can eat the cooked product along with potatoes or pasta, or you can eat it in its pure form.
Tasty and hearty cutlets can be made from liver tinder fungus
Mother-in-law mushroom kebab recipe tongue
Delicious kebabs can be made from nutritious mushroom pulp. The recipe looks like this:
- 500 g of boiled liverworts and 200 g of fresh bacon are cut into large cubes;
- 2 large onions are cut into large thick rings;
- the ingredients are strung on skewers and fried over coals in the standard way.
Shortly before readiness, the kebab is salted and pepper, you can also add aromatic herbs, your favorite spices, teriyaki sauce or ketchup to it.
How to cook roast with mushrooms mother-in-law tongue
Very quickly and easily, a fragrant roast is made from the liverwort. The recipe offers:
- cut into large pieces 500 g of boiled liverwort and fry for 10 minutes in a pan over high heat with butter;
- chop coarsely 200 g of onions and medium carrots;
- add vegetables to the pan to the mushroom pulp, also put 4 chopped garlic cloves;
- fry the ingredients for several minutes;
- add a little water to the pan and close it with a lid;
- simmer the liverwort with vegetables for another 10 minutes.
Then the dish is salted to taste, a little black pepper and coriander are added, and then stewed until the mixture in a pan acquires a thick consistency. The finished roast is laid out on plates and decorated with herbs.
Roast liverwort in nutritional value is not inferior to meat dishes
Liver mushroom recipes for the winter
You can use the liverwort not only fresh. The mushroom is often harvested for the winter; there are many processing recipes.
How to salt a liver mushroom
The easiest way to save the mother-in-law's tongue for the winter is with the help of salting. The algorithm looks like this:
- peeled and cut into thin strips, boil mushrooms for 25 minutes and cool;
- a layer of salt is poured into a sterile large jar, a little pepper and chopped garlic are added;
- a dense layer of mushrooms is laid on top, and then they are again covered with salt and spices.
You need to alternate layers until the jar is full, and the last layer should consist of salt and seasonings. If desired, you can add a little clove, bay leaf and dill to the salting. Add 1 large spoonful of vegetable oil to the filled jar, then seal the container and put it in the refrigerator for 40 days until fully cooked.
Liverwort can be salted for long storage
How to pickle a mother-in-law mushroom tongue in a cold way
To prepare a cold marinade, you must:
- boil the liverwort in salted water and cool;
- put mushrooms and onion cut into half rings in an amount of 5 onions in a sterile jar;
- in a separate container in 500 ml of water, dilute 30 g of salt, add 5 black peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves and 100 ml of vinegar;
- Pour mushrooms with cold marinade and tightly roll up the jar with a lid.
The essence of the cold method is that the marinade does not need to be boiled, so the cooking process takes less time. Pickled liver mushrooms will be ready for use in a week.
How to hot pickle liver mushroom
In a hot way, the liverwort is marinated according to the same scheme, but the marinade is pre-boiled. In addition, the proportions and composition of the ingredients differ.
- 2 kg of liverwort is pre-boiled, this must be done three times for 20 minutes, each time washing the mushroom pulp;
- at the same time, a marinade is prepared in a separate container - a couple of large tablespoons of vinegar, a large spoonful of sugar and salt, 8 allspice peas, 3 bay leaves, garlic and horseradish to taste are added to 500 ml of water;
- boiled mushrooms are laid out in clean prepared jars and boiling marinade is added, and on top - a couple more large tablespoons of vegetable oil.
The jars are rolled up and cooled under a warm blanket, and then put into the refrigerator.
The liverwort is suitable for hot and cold marinating
How to dry mother-in-law mushrooms for the winter
A popular way to harvest the liverwort is to dry it. Its implementation is very simple. Fresh liverwort is cleaned of adhering debris and blades of grass, then cut into small strips and dried in the open air for several hours.
When the juice drains from the liverwort, and the pieces dry out slightly, they will need to be strung on a thread and hung in a dry place with good ventilation.Also, the liverwort can be dried on a baking sheet in an open oven preheated to only 50 degrees. Dried mushrooms are stored in a paper or cloth bag in a dark and dry cabinet, and they can be added to soups and main dishes.
How to freeze liver mushrooms
For long-term storage, the liverwort can also be frozen. Fresh mushroom bodies are boiled in salted water and washed, then they are thrown into a colander and wait until all the water is completely drained.
Then the liverwort is cut into small pieces, laid out in plastic containers and sent to the freezer. Frozen mushrooms can be stored for 9 months with all the beneficial properties preserved.
How to cook mother-in-law mushroom caviar for the winter
An unusual option for cooking liverwort mushroom is delicious mushroom caviar. To prepare it you need:
- chop and fry a large onion in olive oil until golden brown;
- add finely chopped medium carrots and 500 g of boiled mushroom pulp;
- fry the liverwort and vegetables for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly;
- salt and pepper the finished dish to taste;
- cool slightly and pass the liverwort and vegetables through a meat grinder.
Liverwort caviar is suitable for use with sandwiches
The crushed ingredients are again sent to the pan and fried for another 10 minutes, after which they are placed in a half-liter sterile jar and poured with 1 large spoonful of vinegar. You can use mushroom caviar with sandwiches or as a filling for pancakes and dumplings.
Useful properties of liver mushrooms
The liverwort is popular in cooking not only because of its pleasant taste, but also because of its many useful properties. The mushroom pulp contains vitamins PP and D, ascorbic acid, phosphorus and potassium, a large amount of protein compounds.
With regular use, the liverworm is able to improve the work of digestion and establish metabolic processes. Eating mushroom pulp is useful for enhancing immune resistance and for protecting against colds, for cleansing and rejuvenating the body. It is believed that mother-in-law's tongue serves as a good prevention of oncology, the mushroom is also useful for anemia, it quickly makes up for the lack of valuable substances.
Limitations and contraindications
In some conditions of mother-in-law, the tongue may be harmful to the body. It is not recommended to use it when:
- gout;
- individual intolerance;
- chronic ailments of the liver and kidneys;
- gastritis with low acidity;
- a tendency to constipation.
Also, it is better to refuse the liverworm for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Children can eat mushroom dishes only after 10 years.
Contraindications for the common liverwort are quite few
Is it possible to grow mother-in-law mushrooms at home
The common liverwort is well suited for growing in a summer cottage. Breeding the liverwort takes time, but very little effort is needed:
- To grow a liverwort, you need to take a small oak log and soak it in cool water for a couple of days.
- After that, recesses are drilled in the tree up to 7 cm deep and up to 1 cm in diameter.
- A previously purchased mushroom stick is placed in the recesses, after which the log is placed in a shaded and humid place in the open air, in a basement or in a shed.
From time to time, the log needs to be moistened, during cold weather it can be moved to a room with a temperature of about + 8 ° C. The first crop of mother-in-law's tongue in warm conditions appears in about 3-7 months.
Interesting facts about the liverwort
Several interesting facts are associated with the ordinary liverwort:
- The name of the liverwort comes from the appearance of its pulp. On the cut, the fruit body of the mother-in-law's tongue is pink with red veins and very much resembles a piece of liver.
- When cut, the fresh liver mushroom releases a reddish juice - this also enhances its resemblance to a piece of meat or liver.
- The useful edible fungus is a tree parasite that causes brown core rot in trees.
The liverwort pulp contains a large amount of vitamin C - the full daily allowance for an adult is only 100 g.
The beneficial liverwort is a parasite for the trees on which it grows
Conclusion
The liverwort mushroom has an unusual and pleasant taste and is very popular in cooking. It is very easy to recognize it in the forest by its unique appearance, and although the mushroom belongs to the category of woody parasites, it is of great benefit when consumed as food.
