The sun had just set. I was walking in the growing dusk through the woods from the apple orchard at the back of my acreage. That’s when I noticed the skull - round and eerily white, on the ground just off the path. Actually, I saw a skull for the briefest second before I realized what it really was. I was seeing a giant puffball. I was seeing dinner. Potentially, I was seeing several dinners, because the puffball was that large. I stepped off the path, picked up the puffball and continued on my way. Sometimes foraging is that simple.

The scientific name for the giant puffball is Calvatia gigantea. “Calvatia” shares the same Latin root word as “calvaria” the word for the round upper part of a skull. And “gigantea” means, well, gigantic. Here in Minnesota these gigantic skulls start popping up in fields and woodlands in late summer and fall. They are both edible and culinarily versatile. While they are not as flavorful as some of the other wild mushrooms, their absence of strong flavor gives them the ability to combine well with all sorts of other ingredients.

Identifying a Puffball

For amateur mushroom foragers, identifying giant puffballs is fairly foolproof. First of all, there’s the round shape. All puffballs are round, and all puffballs are edible. However, some non-puffball mushrooms, when young, have a membrane that goes around their cap. This membrane, the “universal veil,” gives them the round appearance of puffballs. Mushrooms with universal veils include highly poisonous amanitas. So, looking for roundness is only a first step.

Next, there’s the size. If you find a mushroom larger than a grapefruit it’s highly unlikely that you are looking at anything other than a giant puffball. If it’s the size of a bowling ball, well, what else could it be? To be clear, many perfectly edible and delicious puffballs are small, but since various toxic mushrooms are also small, inexperienced mushroom hunters should stick with the big ones. No poisonous mushroom species is the shape and size of a bowling ball.

Finally, to be one hundred percent certain, cut the mushroom open. If you see gills, it’s not a puffball. If the flesh is yellow, brown, or any color other than white, it is developing spores, and is too old to be edible. If you see nothing but homogenous white flesh, bring that puppy home to your kitchen!

Doug Wilson

When I got this puffball home to my kitchen, the first thing I noticed was his face. I swear, I did not draw his face! This is how I found him—this is how he came! I began to worry a little that he might be sentient. And I toyed with the idea that maybe I shouldn’t eat him. I named him Doug. When I posted his picture on my personal Facebook page, several Facebook friends commented that his name should be Wilson. So, I changed his name to Doug Wilson. Then I concluded I would eat him anyway. I considered titling this article “Cooking with Doug Wilson.”

What’s for Dinner?

Puffballs can be sliced or cubed, fried or baked, and mixed with a variety of other foods. A puffball slice can be used as pizza crust, or cut in strips and used as a pasta substitute, or just dredged in some egg, rolled in some panko, fried and enjoyed all by itself as a tasty snack.

Since the pattypan summer squash were going gangbusters in the garden, and my second crop of Egyptian walking onions were just starting to come on, I decided I would combine these two vegetables, a pound of the puffball, a few other veggies, and some eggs from the ever-generous Hipster Hens to make a frittata.

Making a Frittata

Frittatas are not hard to make. Some folks have tried once, failed, and thrown in the towel. Probably the biggest reason for failure is overcooking. And probably the main reason for overcooking is because the frittata has adamantly refused to set up in the middle, and has remained a soupy mess. And that’s all about the liquid. If you incorporate too much watery stuff into the frittata, it’s going to stay soupy. Since the two main ingredients for my frittata, giant puffball and summer squash, both have a high water content, my first step was to remove some of that moisture from these two ingredients.

Prepping the Summer Squash

I cut a pound of pattypans into small julienne pieces with a mandoline. I love my mandoline. If you’re skillful, you can cut all up those pieces with a knife, but I don’t think that even the most skillful knife-wielding chef would be able produce the uniform pieces of squash in the short amount of time that I did using my mandoline.

A mandoline is a useful kitchen tool because of its row of extremely sharp little knives. It is also a dangerous kitchen tool because of its row of extremely sharp little knives. You have to be careful with this tool. If you use one on a regular basis, you’ve probably lost a chunk of skin, or at least cut yourself. It’s okay. You can admit it. The lesson I’ve learned is that it’s important to always use the food holder/hand guard. Because, while it’s important to put a little of yourself into every dish you make, you don’t want it to be literally true.

Once I reduced the pattypans to little strips, I put them into a large bowl with a teaspoon of salt, mixed it up, and microwaved it for five minutes. After I pulled it out of the microwave, I let it sit for about twenty minutes and allowed the combination of the salt and heat to pull water out of the little strips of squash. Next, I put the mixture into a colander and rinsed it to remove the salt and let it sit for about 15 minutes to drain. I helped the process along by squeezing handfuls of the squash. The end result? A mass of smushed goo! Not appealing at all on its own. But here at the Hipster Hen Chicken Ranch we all say, “Remove the water and save the frittater!” Actually, nobody says that. But it’s true.

Prepping the Puffball

I reduced the moisture content of the mushroom by precooking it. First, I cut off a pound of white flesh from the larger fungal orb and peeled it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the outer membrane. It is not, as some suggest, poisonous. I removed the outside because it has a chewier texture that I didn’t want that texture in this dish. Then I cut it into one-inch-thick slices, and cut the slices into one-inch cubes. I heated some butter in a ten-inch heavy skillet, tossed in the puffball chunks and a half-teaspoon of salt and cooked the whole thing for about ten minutes, giving it an occasional stir. Then I removed the slightly browned chunks to a paper towel-lined plate. The volume had decreased by half. Some of the volume loss was air, but a lot was water – water that would not be ruining my frittater!

Breaking Some Eggs

On to the eggs! I used “a dozen eggs.” Here’s why that’s in quotes. I have a variety of fowl. Some hens, like the Rhode Island Reds, lay big eggs; some hens, like the Silkies, lay little eggs. Then there are the ducks who lay ginormous duckie eggs. I love all my feathered critters. And gathering a cornucopia of eggs in all sorts of sizes and colors is one of the joys of having a mixed flock. But it can be problematic when you are cooking and you need a dozen eggs. So, I’ve done the math. I know that by the official USDA definition, a large egg weighs 2 ounces and a dozen weigh 24 ounces. If I want “a dozen eggs” in my recipe, I don’t count my nonuniform eggs, I just get out the kitchen scale and weigh out 24 ounces of eggs.

I cracked my collection of eggs into a bowl and added the flavor ingredients I’d chosen: Salt, of course. Some chili powder for some rounded spiciness, and little Sriracha to wake things up a bit. And some full-fat Greek yogurt, for the flavor and the creaminess. I whisked everything together—just long enough to blend the egg whites, the yolks, and the flavoring agents. Over-whisking the eggs incorporates too much air into the mixture. The air makes the frittata rise to great heights while baking and then fall to a rubbery flatness after removal from the oven. A final addition at the end: I stirred in some grated cheddar cheese.

Cook That Frittata!

I grabbed the very same skillet I used for the puffball prep and wiped it out with a paper towel. Then I put in some olive oil and put the skillet on the stove to preheat. I tossed in chopped onion, minced garlic, and red pepper and cooked them for a couple minutes, stirring all the time. Next, I added some chopped green onions and the prepared pattypans and cooked and stirred for another minute. Then I added the prepared puffball, and with no further ado, gave my egg mixture a quick stir with the whisk, dumped it on top of the sautéed veggies, and stirred it to mix everything together. This frittata was starting to look like a frittata! I cooked it for a couple of minutes—until the outer edge of the frittata started to harden and pull away from the edge of the skillet.

Into the Oven

I slid the partially cooked frittata into a prewarmed 425 degree oven and baked it for a bit more than ten minutes. When I pulled it out of the oven, the eggs looked firm. But to double check, I stuck a knife into the middle, and when it came out clean, I knew it was done.

I sprinkled grated cheddar on top of the hot-from-the-oven frittata and garnished it with some chopped green onions. It was ready to eat. I sliced a wedge from the pan, topped it with a little salsa and enjoyed it with a lager. It was creamy, cheesy, mushroomy, and just a bit spicy. It was lovely. The next day, it was equally delicious eaten cold. This puffball frittata was a winner!

The Recipe: Giant Puffball Frittata (Randy’s Chicken Blog)

1 lb giant puffball mushroom, prepared (see below)
1 lb summer squash, prepared (see below)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic
½ red pepper, cut into small pieces
1 bunch green onions, cut into ½ inch lengths—divided
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tsp salt – divided
12 large eggs (1 lg egg = 2 oz.;12 = 24 oz.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp sriracha
1 cup grated cheddar—divided

Squash prep (to reduce moisture content):

Using a mandolin, cut squash into small julienne pieces. Place in large bowl with 1 tsp salt. Microwave for five minutes and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Place in colander and rinse. Allow to drain for 15 minutes. You can help the process along by squeezing handfuls of the squash.

Puffball prep

Wash puffball, remove skin, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Heat butter in a large 10-inch cast iron or oven-safe nonstick heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the diced puffballs and ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the puffballs have shrunk and are developing brownish spots (5 - 10 minutes). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Frittata

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Break eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp salt, chili powder, sriracha, yogurt, and half of cheese. Whisk to blend.
Wipe the skillet used for puffball prep with a paper towel. Place on stove, add olive oil and preheat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add green onion, reserving a few tablespoons for garnish. Add prepared squash and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add prepared puffball.
Give the eggs another stir with the whisk, then pour over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir with a spatula to spread the mixture evenly across the pan. Cook until the outer edge of the frittata starts to harden (1-2 minutes) then place skillet in oven.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the eggs look cooked and firm in the middle. Remove the frittata from oven. Garnish with remaining green onions and cheese, slice into wedges and serve.
You can accompany the frittata with a nice green salad and serve it with applesauce or salsa on the side.