Agaricus augustus
Description
Agaricus augustus is a tall, sometimes massive edible mushroom that has orange-brown scales on the surface of both cap and stem. Surfaces of all parts stain yellow when handled or bruised.
This mushroom grows under conifers, but is not usually a woodland species; it seems to prefer conifers growing near roads, paths, gardens, parks, and so on.
The young mushrooms are so sweet and almondy that you can use them in desserts. The older specimens take on more typical "champignon" flavors along with the almond, and may prove easier to use in normal entrées; however, these older individuals will prove most useful when dried, as they often get wormy and a bit spongy in texture.
This mushroom occurs in western North America, west of the Great Plains, and is also relatively common in some parts of northern Europe.
Similar species can be found in other regions, including Agaricus julius in the Rocky Mountains, and Agaricus nanaugustus in the Midwest and the eastern United States.
Common names: The Prince.
Mushroom Identification
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Ecology
Saprobic; growing scattered or gregariously under conifers, usually along roadsides or paths, or in lawns and gardens; summer and fall, or in winter and spring in warmer climates; West Coast.
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Cap
10–35 cm; usually blocky and nearly cylindric at first, becoming convex to broadly convex or nearly flat; dry; whitish underneath a dense covering of brown to dark brown, fibrillose scales; bruising yellow, at least near the margin.
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Gills
Free from the stem; close or nearly crowded; white when young, becoming grayish brown and eventually dark chocolate brown to blackish (without a pink stage); covered when in the button stage with a whitish, cog-wheeled partial veil that features brownish scales.
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Stem
10–20 cm long; up to 4 cm thick; more or less equal; often rooting; adorned with a large, skirtlike, whitish ring; whitish and fairly bald above the ring, but below the ring covered with whitish to faintly brownish scales.
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Flesh
White; unchanging when sliced.
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Spore Print
Dark chocolate brown.
Look-Alikes
Do not confuse Agaricus augustus with the poisonous Amanita smithiana or Smith’s amanita. Like Agaricus augustis, the Smith’s amanita has a scaly stem with a ring around it but the spores are white, not dark brown like Agaricus augustus. It is also said that the Smith’s amanita smells of old socks and not the almond-like smell of the Agaricus augustus.
History
Agaricus augustu was first named and described by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1838, and the name remains unchanged to this day.
Some people think that the specific epithet Augustus refers to the month of August where this mushroom may be found, but the literal translation of the Latin Augustus is "noble".
Synonyms
Psalliota augusta (Fr.) Quél., 1872
Pratella augusta (Fr.) Gillet, 1878
Fungus augustus (Fr.) Kuntze, 1898
Agaricus perrarus Schulzer, 1880
Agaricus peronatus Massee, 1892
Recipe: Agaricus augustus Duxelles
Use it on a "Hawaiian" style mushroom pizza, or in sweet mushroom rice with cashews and raisins.
Ingredients
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4 cups dried Agaricus augustus (older specimens)
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1 cup of water
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1/2 cup white wine
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1 onion
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5 fresh basil leaves
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salt and pepper to taste
How to cook
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Place everything except the salt and pepper in a food processor, and grind to a fine mash.
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Scoop into a deep frying pan or wok.
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Cook on low heat for 30 minutes to an hour, or until nearly dry. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe: Tapas de Hongos y Patatas
A savory, spicy hors d'oeuvre or side dish, in a Spanish style. Try serving it with some bread and salted olive oil, red wine, and perhaps some anchovies, green olives, or pickled herring.
Ingredients
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8 oz. young Agaricus augustus
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8 oz. baby red potatoes
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1 fresh hot pepper (chopped)
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1 large clove garlic (crushed and chopped)
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1 tsp salt (or less, to taste)
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1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
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1 tbsp chopped parsley
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1/4 cup red wine
How to cook
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Partially precook the baby potatoes by boiling for about 5 minutes, or put them in a microwave for 3-4 minutes until they just begin to get soft.
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Allow to cool for a few minutes, then cut the potatoes in half or quarters to get bite-size chunks. Chop the mushroom into cubes roughly the same size as the potatoes or a bit smaller.
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Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan, and sautee the mushroom chunks for about 5 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
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Toss in the salt, chopped peppers and minced garlic, and continue to sautée for 3-5 minutes.
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Put in the potatoes and stir occasionally for 5 more minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown at the edges. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in half of the wine. Continue cooking until the wine is completely evaporated (a few more minutes).
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Add the remainder of the wine, with the parsley and black pepper, and cook a few more minutes until the liquid is mostly (but not completely) dried up. The sauce should moisten the potatoes without forming pools at the bottom. Serve immediately.
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Variations: If you are sensitive to hot peppers, you can substitute pickled Italian pepperoncini or roasted sweet bell peppers for the hot pepper. If red wine is unavailable, you can use a splash of balsamic vinegar for a similar effect.
Recipe: Asparagus Augustus
This is a very easy stir-fry meal, with flavors matched to the almond overtones of Agaricus augustus. Of course it will work well with most any mushroom, especially A. arvensis, Boletus edulis, chantrelles or morels.
Ingredients
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1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
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1 large-cap A. augustus (about 8 oz.)
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4 broccoli flowerettes
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3 Tbsp chopped green onion
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2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
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1 Tbsp olive oil
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1 Tbsp butter
How to cook
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Fry the chopped mushroom in olive oil for about 3 minutes on medium-high heat.
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Toss in the asparagus, cover for 4 minutes, stirring a few times, until almost cooked but with slightly blackened edges.
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Put in the broccoli and balsamic vinegar and cover for 3 minutes.
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Add the butter, stir till it melts and remove from heat.
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Toss in the green onion and serve over rice. Serves four.
Recipe: Sweet Augustus
Ingredients
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1 large Agaricus augustus (about 8 oz.)
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1 cup basmati rice
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2 cups of water
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1/4 cup raisins
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1/4 cup almonds
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1/4 cup brown sugar
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1 Tbsp. butter
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1 tsp. cardamon
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2-3 Tbsp. honey
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2 Tbsp. brandy or port (optional)
How to cook
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Cook the rice with the water and cardamom in a covered pot for 20 minutes.
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While the rice is cooking, chop the almonds and set them aside.
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Chop the mushroom into small pieces. In a non-stick frying pan, Sauté the mushrooms until their liquid is about half-reduced.
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Add the butter, then add the brown sugar once the butter has melted. Cook until the brown sugar has started to caramelize (about 5 minutes) being careful not to burn the butter.
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Mix the mushrooms, almonds, raisins, and honey into the rice. If desired, also stir in a bit of brandy or port to add additional complexity. Serve hot.
Recipe: Prince & Chicken Pie
Ingredients
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1.5 lb. cooked chopped chicken breast
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2 leeks, white part cleaned & chopped
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1 lb. Prince mushroom, chopped coarsely
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4 T. unsalted butter
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1/4 C. flour
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2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
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3 T. Marsala
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1/2 C. cream
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1/4 C. sour cream
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3 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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Salt and pepper
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2 12" pie crusts
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1 egg
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1 T. water
How to cook
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Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large deep skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened & golden.
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Reduce heat to medium. Add the leeks and cook until tender.
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Sprinkle the flour in and stir until evenly coated and cook another 3-4 minutes.
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Add the broth and Marsala, cook until thickened.
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Remove from heat and add the chicken, sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Let cool.
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Beat together the egg and water.
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Put one pie crust in a 10" deep pie dish. Add the filling. Brush the rim with the egg wash and top with the second crust. Decoratively crimp the crusts together. Brush the top crust with more egg wash, and cut 4 slashes.
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Bake in 400F oven on cookie sheet 30 minutes, or until crusts are golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cover the pie loosely with foil if the top crust browns too quickly. Let the chicken pie stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Lukas from London, England (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Agaricus_augustus_47964.jpg: (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 5 - Author: George Chernilevsky (Public Domain)