By Ian Knauer

For decades now, I have considered myself a committed shroomaphile. I learned to forage fungi in my 20s, wandering the woods of my home state, Pennsylvania, July through October, figuring out which were toxic and which were delicious. At a farmers market, mushrooms are still the thing I'm guaranteed to gravitate to. And they are always on my Thanksgiving table in one form or another.

It wasn't until a couple of years ago, however, that I really leveled up to pro status when it comes to mushroom cooking. While waiting out construction on the kitchen at the cooking school I run, I found myself in need of a job. Luckily, a nearby chef was hiring for his new restaurant.

Cal Peternell moved back to the area after a decades-long stint at the famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif. His restaurant, Finnbar, in Frenchtown, N.J., is a 12-minute drive from my house. Figuring I might be able to learn a thing or two from an industry legend, I worked as a line cook at Finnbar for about a year and a half, until I could open my own kitchen this summer. And I did indeed learn a lot.

Crucially, I discovered I wasn't using nearly enough wine or cream when I stewed mushrooms. More than once, when I was put in charge of making the mushroom sugo for the Finnbar kitchen, Cal would taste the stew and start boiling white wine in a skillet to add to it, correcting the acidic balance of the dish. Not a little bit of white wine, either. The same went for the cream.

I learned the right proportion and finally, consistently nailed it. The Finnbar mushroom sugo uses 25 pounds of mushrooms and a gallon each of wine and cream. The proportions in the mushroom sugo recipe I share here echo that.

The other great takeaway came from how Cal uses the mushroom sugo -- which is to say, any and every way imaginable. This savory sugo is wonderful tossed with pasta and a handful of herbs. Or baked into a lasagna. Or served with eggs for breakfast. Or added to chicken stock to make an earthy autumnal soup.

Since my days in the Finnbar kitchen, there is constantly a quart of mushroom sugo in my refrigerator at home, to be used in any number of applications. I'll be serving it as a side for more than one holiday gathering. If you're expecting vegetarian guests at your own table, I highly recommend it as a meatless main, over polenta.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 26, 2025 15:30 ET (20:30 GMT)

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