Skillet Amaranth Greens with Mushrooms and Garlic
Dried mushrooms, dried greens, and a lot of garlic, rehydrated in a pan at camp.
- calories
- 210
- weight
- 1.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 117
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 22 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried amaranth greens | 1 oz | about 1/2 lb fresh, dried at home; young leaves and tender tops |
|---|---|---|
| Dried mushrooms | 1/2 oz | chanterelle, black trumpet, or plain shiitake |
| Garlic | 1 tbsp sliced | a hardneck head travels fine whole; slice at camp |
| Butter | 2 tbsp | ghee or a butter powder if the days are hot |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Red pepper flakes | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | to taste | |
| Lemon | 1 whole, or 1 tsp crystallized lemon |
Method
- Pour 150 ml of boiled water over the dried mushrooms in your mug. Let them sit ten minutes. Keep the soaking water.
- Put the butter and oil in the pan over low heat with the sliced garlic. Stir until the garlic goes gold and smells toasted. Low and slow, or it turns bitter.
- Drain the mushrooms, add them with a pinch of salt, and cook until they stop steaming and start to brown.
- Add the dried greens, the pepper flakes, the mushroom soaking water, and another 150 ml of water. Cover if you have a lid.
- Simmer until the greens are soft and the pan is nearly dry, five to eight minutes. Watch it at the end.
- Salt it, squeeze the lemon over, and eat it out of the pan.
Amaranth greens dry well and rehydrate fast, which is what makes this work away from a kitchen. Fresh, this is a garden-thinning dish; on trail it becomes a bag of green flakes weighing almost nothing. The mushroom soaking water is the important part — it carries most of the flavor, so it goes into the pan, not the dirt.
The garlic sets the tone. Browning it slowly in fat before anything else hits the pan builds the base the greens cook into. Rush it over a roaring canister flame and you get scorched garlic and a bitter pan. This is a side, not a meal: about 200 calories, so pair it with rice, couscous, or a foil packet of something.
Packing
Greens and mushrooms in separate bags — the greens crush to nothing and the mushrooms need room. Butter in a screw-top jar, oil in a dropper bottle. Garlic head and lemon ride loose in a side pocket.
Variations
- Stir in a cup of cooked instant rice or a packet of couscous at the end to make it a full dinner rather than a side.
- Skip the butter and double the oil to keep it vegan and dairy-free.
- A spoonful of miso in the soaking water gives the pan liquid some backbone.
https://foragerchef.com/wilted-amaranth-with-garlic-chili-and-summer-wild-mushrooms