If you eat mushrooms you find, you are doing so at your own risk. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this site is correct, the author and editors of BrokeAss Gourmet caution against the use of the information in any particular application and accept no responsibility or liability for errors, omissions or representations, expressed or implied, contained herein.

Agaricus augustus. Lepiota rachodes. Boletus edulis. Lactarius deliciosus. Clitocybe nuda. These are a few of my favorite things. Beautiful, a tad bit freakish, technically illegal to possess in most public places, and delicious, these are wild fungi. By learning to collect your own, you attain access to an arcane world of delicacies – for free. And on the kitchen end of the matter, preparation is minimal. Don’t be mistaken: You can – and should – wash mushrooms, though some chefs claim it’s a sin. And you needn’t make soufflés or risottos; in fact, you’ll best taste your wild mushrooms through simpler techniques – and no mushroom recipe beats a hot pan, olive oil, salt and pepper, white wine, and 10 to 20 minutes at the stove.

Before we go on, I must address poisonous mushrooms. This is not a matter to be taken lightly. People die painful, violent deaths almost every year from eating mushrooms of the Amanita genus, usually the Death Cap (A. phalloides). First, they may marvel at the wonderful taste and texture of this attractive mushroom. After an hour come stomach pain and nausea. This passes, however, and they are granted about 24 hours of relief. They are not in the clear, however, for all this while the amanitins – the deadly compounds in the mushroom – are maneuvering for a spirited assault on the liver. Amanitins are an effective army, and the besieged liver stands no chance. It melts, and without a transplant, you die, and if there’s one thing a broke-ass gourmand can’t afford, it’s a liver transplant. Thus, the moral of this story before it’s even begun is, do not eat wild mushrooms if you do not have a clear understanding of what you’re doing. Amanitas grow worldwide. They are a clear and present danger, year-round.

Mushrooms are a fast-growing, abundant, and truly sustainable food source. Those that cannot be cultivated encourage us to leave the beaten path and stalk through the forest. Better yet, many mushrooms only grow among particular trees and thus indirectly encourage environmental conservation, even among the most unlikely, arrogant, ignorant circles of urban food snobs.

This simple soup has all of the bean-y, spicy, onion-y flavors of a hearty vegetarian chili, but the smooth, elegant presentation of a puree soup. We love to use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot (though a food processor or blender will do just fine). Serve the quesadillas alongside to dip into the soup.

So, it’s been about 2-and-a-half weeks since our February 5th launch and we’re thrilled to say things are going pretty darn well. We were STOKED this morning to see that the MSN Money blog, Smart Spending had good things to say about us, and have been loving all of your comments and feedback.

Of course we’re hoping that BrokeAss Gourmet will continue to thrive and grow, but we’re on a bigger mission than that.

Over the past year as the economy has headed south, we’ve seen many of our friends lose their jobs, get passed over for raises and bonuses and watch their stocks plummet. As a result, their lifestyles have changed and they find themselves cutting out luxuries like expensive meals and drinks out.

We’ve also noticed that being jobless and/or broke can take a toll on self esteem. Sure, it’s not your fault that the tech start-up you work for folded but that doesn’t mean you feel good about it—and it’s hard to work your mojo when you’re not feeling good. Well, BrokeAss Gourmet aims to offer a solution to both monetary and mojo-related woes:

cooking delicious, innovative meals at home + saving money by learning about inexpensive but quality ingredients + impressing your dining companion with your prowess in the kitchen = MOJO RETURNED

Thanks for reading, guys. We’re hard at work on how to bring the good life to you for little-to-no money, so please check back soon.

It may sound funny for dessert, but strawberries and black pepper are actually a match made in heaven. This unpretentious yet impressive dessert is the perfect ending to a special meal when you don’t want to slave away in the kitchen. It is quickly whipped up and features a nice amount of pantry ingredients.

When the weather is crappy (as it was in San Francisco this weekend), what could be better than hot, creamy macaroni and cheese? But don’t reach for that crap in the box. We think that for a few dollars more and a little bit of effort (but not much), you can do WAY better. The best thing about this very classic macaroni and cheese recipe is that it is based almost entirely on pantry and fridge basics, so it’s cheap and easy.