particularly nice chilled, decanted into cold soup bowls and eaten out of doors as a first course to a sunny weekend lunch.
Fry the onions in the olive oil and butter until softened. Add the mushrooms, with a little more oil if necessary, and cook both ingredients until golden brown. Add the garlic and seasoning, turn up the heat and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the vermouth, allow to bubble vigorously, then pour in the stock and add the bundle oftarragon. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Strain through a colander into a clean pan and leave to settle for a few minutes; now is the time to remove any excess fat from the surface of the broth with sheets of paper towel.
Remove the tarragon bundle from the mushroom mulch and discard. Now tip this mulch into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is nicely coarse. Add back to the broth, check the seasoning and pour in the Madeira. Keep warm.
To make the tarragon cream, simply whisk everything together until lightly thickened, taking care not to over-beat the assembly; the vinegar will begin to thicken the mixture the minute it is added, anyway.
Bring the soup back to a simmer, pour into heated, deep soup bowls and add a spoonful of cream to each serving.
mushrooms with garlic, parsley & lemon, with olive oil & potato purée
serves 4
for the potato purée
2¼ lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
salt
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
3–3¼ oz milk
4½–5 oz fine olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
for the mushrooms
14 oz medium open-cup or other mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
zest of 1 small lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp double or heavy cream (optional)
to serve
a little extra fine olive oil and chopped parsley
lemon (optional)
I can only look upon this as the perfect, impromptu supper dish, especially when most of the ingredients are usually to hand; mushrooms, in my kitchen at least, are often to be found languishing in the salad drawer of the fridge, usually soon after I have found one of those large packets of super-value mushrooms at my local supermarket. Potatoes and parsley, I pretty well always have lurking about. The remaining ingredients are never out of stock.
I love the common or garden cultivated mushroom, and it is so versatile and delicious when treated in the following way, partnered with its most favorite flavors of garlic and parsley. The lemon zest adds a further fragrance tothe dish, which is pleasing. And the potato is the most delectable partner, soaking up the juices as a gorgeously smooth mattress.
Boil the potatoes in salted water with the garlic until tender. Warm the milk in a small pan. Drain the potatoes and garlic well. Using a potato ricer, purée the potatoes/garlic into a bowl. Now, alternately, whisk in the milk and olive oil in thin streams until a slightly sloppier than usual puréed potato mixture is achieved, then spike with a pinch of cayenne. Keep warm, covered with kitchen foil, over a pan of barely simmering water.
Fry the mushrooms in the olive oil until pale golden. Finely chop the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together (the scent from doing this is just wonderful). Add this to the mushrooms with a little seasoning, turn up the heat a little and stir-fry until well mixed together. If you would like to “cream” the mushrooms, stir in the cream now, and allow to bubble for a minute or two.
To serve, spoon the potato purée into 4 hot shallow soup plates and divide the mushrooms between each of them. Trickle over a touch more olive oil and scatter with parsley. Offer some pieces of lemon at table for those who may enjoy a sharp, finishing touch to the dish.
homemade gravadlax with cucumber salad & mustard sauce
serves 4
for the salmon
3 oz superfine sugar
2½ oz sea salt
2 tbsp schnapps, gin, vodka or similar
2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 tsp
Fry the onions in the olive oil and butter until softened. Add the mushrooms, with a little more oil if necessary, and cook both ingredients until golden brown. Add the garlic and seasoning, turn up the heat and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the vermouth, allow to bubble vigorously, then pour in the stock and add the bundle oftarragon. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Strain through a colander into a clean pan and leave to settle for a few minutes; now is the time to remove any excess fat from the surface of the broth with sheets of paper towel.
Remove the tarragon bundle from the mushroom mulch and discard. Now tip this mulch into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is nicely coarse. Add back to the broth, check the seasoning and pour in the Madeira. Keep warm.
To make the tarragon cream, simply whisk everything together until lightly thickened, taking care not to over-beat the assembly; the vinegar will begin to thicken the mixture the minute it is added, anyway.
Bring the soup back to a simmer, pour into heated, deep soup bowls and add a spoonful of cream to each serving.
mushrooms with garlic, parsley & lemon, with olive oil & potato purée
serves 4
for the potato purée
2¼ lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
salt
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
3–3¼ oz milk
4½–5 oz fine olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
for the mushrooms
14 oz medium open-cup or other mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
zest of 1 small lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp double or heavy cream (optional)
to serve
a little extra fine olive oil and chopped parsley
lemon (optional)
I can only look upon this as the perfect, impromptu supper dish, especially when most of the ingredients are usually to hand; mushrooms, in my kitchen at least, are often to be found languishing in the salad drawer of the fridge, usually soon after I have found one of those large packets of super-value mushrooms at my local supermarket. Potatoes and parsley, I pretty well always have lurking about. The remaining ingredients are never out of stock.
I love the common or garden cultivated mushroom, and it is so versatile and delicious when treated in the following way, partnered with its most favorite flavors of garlic and parsley. The lemon zest adds a further fragrance tothe dish, which is pleasing. And the potato is the most delectable partner, soaking up the juices as a gorgeously smooth mattress.
Boil the potatoes in salted water with the garlic until tender. Warm the milk in a small pan. Drain the potatoes and garlic well. Using a potato ricer, purée the potatoes/garlic into a bowl. Now, alternately, whisk in the milk and olive oil in thin streams until a slightly sloppier than usual puréed potato mixture is achieved, then spike with a pinch of cayenne. Keep warm, covered with kitchen foil, over a pan of barely simmering water.
Fry the mushrooms in the olive oil until pale golden. Finely chop the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together (the scent from doing this is just wonderful). Add this to the mushrooms with a little seasoning, turn up the heat a little and stir-fry until well mixed together. If you would like to “cream” the mushrooms, stir in the cream now, and allow to bubble for a minute or two.
To serve, spoon the potato purée into 4 hot shallow soup plates and divide the mushrooms between each of them. Trickle over a touch more olive oil and scatter with parsley. Offer some pieces of lemon at table for those who may enjoy a sharp, finishing touch to the dish.
homemade gravadlax with cucumber salad & mustard sauce
serves 4
for the salmon
3 oz superfine sugar
2½ oz sea salt
2 tbsp schnapps, gin, vodka or similar
2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 tsp
Similar Books
