Late nite soba with pork and black trumpet mushrooms

If you are anything like us, you have large jars of dried fall mushrooms lurking patiently in all corners of your kitchen. Part of you wants to save them because you spent hours painstakingly collecting them in the forest, but another part of you knows spring mushroom season isn't that far off and you need to make some space. Porcini mushrooms are easy to use up, winter chanterelles too. They are equally delicious in soups, pasta, risottos, etc. Really any savory dish with butter will benefit from the addition of either of these two mushrooms. Black trumpet mushrooms, however.. they call for something more special.








Turns out the signature black trumpet taste (earthy, fruity, intense) pairs extremely well with soy sauce and other Asian flavors. I unfortunately can't post an exact recipe as this delicious noodle soup is a product of late night carefree experimentation. But I can write down what I did:

For the broth I used a combination of leftover venison stock, instant dashi, water and soy sauce. After the broth came to a simmer I added the soba (buckwheat) noodles and a handful of dried black trumpets. In another pan I fried up in oil fresh ginger and garlic, some sliced zucchini, carrot ribbons, enoki mushrooms, leftover sliced pork roast (marinated in red wine and seasoned with Sichuan pepper and dried mandarin peel) and a pinch of crushed sesame seeds. When the noodles were cooked, in went the meat and veggies. Perfection.