I met Connie Green through a mutual friend. I just knew her as a really interesting, funny woman who was a mushroom expert. I had no idea that almost every major restaurant in the Bay Area gets their mushrooms from Connie and that she got a big two page spread in Thomas Keller's seminal The French Laundry Cookbook! Connie recently gave me some Hen of the Woods mushrooms and naturally they were married with some beans! Sauté onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel . Break into pieces and add to the softened vegetables. After a few minutes add cooked beans (I used Red Nightfall) and heat through. When cooked, add some chopped cilantro and a dash of hot sauce. Naturally, I used Rio Fuego! I dusted the mixture with some dry cheese and stuffed several tortillas. Any meat lover would be happy with this. Beans, garlic and mushrooms have a natural affinity that's hard to beat. They're meaty and delicious. You can use any mushrooms you have available but try to at least mix some wild mushrooms to the mixture to keep things interesting.
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