I think autumn might be my favourite season. Of course I love spring when the days start to get a little longer and a little warmer. Summer brings even more sun but also those heavy brooding storm days. I like them in their own way too.

But there’s something about the change of season to autumn that is altogether different. Leaves start to take on an entire new part of the colour wheel. It’s kinda handy how the seasonal produce has adopted the same colour range, almost as though it is part of some grand plan: pumpkins, apples, walnuts, mushrooms; burnt orange, russet red, all configurations of brown and beyond. 

And it was mushrooms that got me inspired to cook my first true autumn meal of this year – pan-fried gnocchi with a creamy mushroom sauce.

I’ve always been into mushrooms. I have a friend who says she doesn’t really like mushrooms but she enjoys them when I prepare them. And let’s be clear, mushrooms can run the gamut of almost-tasteless filler to earthy, forest-floor-funkiness.

I like button mushrooms pan-fried in half butter half oil, well-seasoned and served up alongside eggs with breakfast. 

I like large Portobellos stuffed with something tasty and baked as a whole. Crumbed and fried and I’ll love them (and the cook) even more.

I like delicate Enoki as a raw or lightly cooked garnish.

I like King Oysters sliced, brushed with tonkatsu sauce and grilled over charcoal then served with ramen. 

I like hairy Lions Mane sliced, smashed and fried crisp. 

Morels? Oh so enticing. Porcini? A staple, dried, in my pantry. Slippery Jacks? When I am lucky enough to have a source.

Do I need to continue?

I’ll be upfront, part of the impetus for my gnocchi dish was a new tv show we are watching – The Last of Us. For those not up to speed, The Last of Us is an American mini-series based upon a very successful video game (do we still call them video games?) starring Pedro ‘swoon’ Pascal and the talented Bella Ramsey. 

The show’s premise is that a particular fungus has infected the human population turning infected people into zombies. Cordyceps is the name of this fungus and while it exists in our world, it isn’t quite the brain-taking over varietal. Apparently it can influence the activity of insects etc but isn’t threatening to unleash a new pandemic on the world just yet.

To my mind, dinner was a good way to keep fungi (I will always pronounce it fun-guy and you can’t stop me) in check. Obviously, I’m not the first person to decide on a mushroom revenge meal while enjoying this show. A quick google search will provide much mycelium inspiration.

I like this one.

Shroom Boom , of course