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Pete's Food Blog
August, 2021
Mushrooms
Penny buns, ceps, porcini
Call them what you may
they are one of Our Lord's gifts
Ottolenghi's Confit garlic hummus with grilled/marinated mushrooms, Salt cured mushrooms, Pickled mushrooms, Smoked mushrooms, Smoked mushroom pasta, Mushroom risotto, Mushroom pie, mushroom salad (sieni salaatti).
14th August, 2021
Ottolenghi's confit garlic hummus and grilled/marinated mushrooms
Recipe available: here
17th August, 2021
Salt preserved mushrooms
1 kg of coarsely chopped porcini (Penny bun ceps) mushrooms once they have first been in a dry pan, medium high heat, with the lid on for 4 minutes; then with the lid off until all the liquid has evaporated. Other kinds of foraged mushrooms could be used, but they may require being boiled first in copious amounts of water, so kindly refer to reliable foragers' guidelines.
125g of coarse sea salt + 2 tbl
1 one-litre Kilner or Mason jar, washed and sterilized for 30 mins. at 140°C.
Method:
Thoroughly mix the 125g salt into the mushrooms. Put 1 tbl salt at the bottom of the jar, pack the salted mushrooms into the jar tightly. Finishing with the final 1 tbl of salt on top. Place an up-turned plastic container on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged in the brine. "Tip" here
Store in the fridge.
If the mushrooms are not completely submerged in brine by the following day, make up a solution of 500 ml boiled water to 75 ml of sea salt and top up the jar to the brim.
The mushrooms will be ready in two weeks and keep for a year in the fridge. See recipe for mushroom salad.
Update...10th September, 2021 I have used the same method for Lactarius torminosus, commonly known as the woolly milkcap (suomeksi Karvarouskut). These are commonly regarded a being the best mushrooms for salt curing and make an excellent mushroom salad (sieni salaatti) here.
17th August, 2021
Ready for pickling
All done
Ingredients:
Pickled mushrooms
1 Litre of chanterelle or porcini (Penny bun ceps) mushrooms once they have first been cut up and put in a dry pan, medium high heat, with the lid on for 4 minutes; then with the lid off until all the liquid has evaporated. (No need to cut up very small chanterelle, which actually work best of all).
Other kinds of foraged mushrooms could be used, but they may require being boiled first in copious amounts of water, so kindly refer to reliable foragers' guidelines.
2 Carrots, peeled and finely sliced
1 red onion finely sliced and divided into rings.
For the pickling liquid:
2 dl water
2 dl sugar
1 tbl salt
2 bay leaves
5 all spice berries
10 white pepper corns
1 tbl mustard seeds
4 whole cloves
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 dl 10% pickling vinegar (or 2 dl of ordinary vinegar)
You will need at least one 1-litre Kilner or Mason jar, washed and sterilized for 30 mins. at 140°C (possibly a ½ litre jar too).
Method:
Gently boil the water, sugar and spices for 10 minutes.
Add the vinegar carrots and onion and simmer for two minutes.
Sieve the "solids" and mix them in well with the mushrooms.
Pack the mixture into the hot sterilized jar and pour the hot liquid over the mushrooms. Ensure that the mushrooms are completely submerged and that the jar is full to the brim with pickling liquid. See tip here.
Seal the jar and store, once cooled - in the fridge.
Ready in two weeks, will keep for a year in the fridge.
Serve with cold or cured meats, cheese or as a side dish.
Smoked ceps (porcini, penny buns)
20th August, 2021
Smoked ceps (porcini, penny buns) Vegan
1 kg of prepared mushrooms; diced and prepared in batches by cooking in a dry frying pan for 4 minutes with the lid on, then with the lid off until all the liquid has evaporated.
Method:
I use a foil tray for smoking mushrooms, lightly oiled.
Please refer to the smoking process and temperature management given in Homemade chipotle chillies here:
Keep the temperature as near as you can to 115°C for 1½ hours. (Mine rose momentarily to as high as 160°C degrees, so don't worry, do your best; the trick is to feed the fire with very small amounts of wood.
Smoked mushroom pasta Vegan
Ingredients:
20g butter or 30 ml olive oil
1 large onion (2 small), finely choped
1 garlic clove, crushed
250 g of smoked mushrooms
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
zest of ½ a lemon
Method:
Put 150 g (dry weight) of the pasta of your choice on to boil (al dente) in salted water.
Fry the onions and garlic until golden.
Add the mushrooms and herbs and fry for a further 2 minutes.
When the pasta is ready, strain - saving 50ml of the cooking liquor. Put the pasta and pasta water into the mushrooms along with the lemon zest and combine thoroughly.
Season to taste with salt (depending on how salty you pasta water was) and pepper.
Mushroom risotto
I used ceps (porcini, penny buns)
26th August, 2021
Vegan option
Ingredients:
Any fresh, edible mushrooms would do, to prepare them just cut them up, put them in a dry pan, medium heat with the lid on for 4 minutes, then the lid off until the liquid has evaporated
250g of prepared porcini mushrooms
4 tbl olive oil (3+1)
950 ml + up to 200 ml (option) chicken or vegetable stock
3 cloves garlic gently crushed but remaing intact.
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and ground black pepper to taste
240 ml white wine, divided into 120ml + 120 ml
56 g butter or Vegan butter substitute, divided 28g + 28g
1 shallot, finely chopped
350 g Arborio risotto rice
45 g grated Parmesan cheese (vegan substitute is available and works very well - even in cooking).
Method:
Heat all the stock and keep it simmering throughout the cook.
Fry the garlic cloves in 3 tbl of oil on a low heat until golden - at most. Add the prepared mushrooms; stir 5 to 6 minutes seasoning with rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Remove garlic cloves from the pan and pour in 120ml of wine.
Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 mins. until the wine has reduced.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil with 28 g butter (or vegan butter substitute) in a second deep sided frying pan or saucepan over medium-low heat. Fry the shallot until soft, and stir in the rice. Keep stirring until the rice is toasted and fragrant (about 3 minutes). Add the remaining 120ml wine and simmer until the wine has absorbed.
Ladle 1/3 of the hot stock into the rice; stirring continuously until it has been absorbed. Add the mushrooms and turn down the heat. Ladle in the remainder of the 950 ml stock in small amounts cooking, and stirring constantly, until risotto is tender and creamy, (approx. 17 minutes). Add 50ml of hot water, stir and put the lid on for a further 5 mins.
Remove risotto from the heat; stir in remaining 28 g butter (or substitute) and Parmesan cheese (or substitute). Let it stand for 5 minutes with the lid on.
If like me, you like your risotto "loose", stir in as much of the remaining stock as you prefer. Again, let it stand for 2-3 mins. with the lid on before serving.
Mushroom pie Vegan option
My pies tend to be frugal with regard to sauces, I prefer the pastry to be as crispy as possible, both top and bottom. Thus I serve my pies with sauces on the side rather than in the filling.
Ingredients:
You will need my "Go to" pastry here
(280 g plain white flour, 1 tsp salt, 175 g cold butter/margarine or vegan substitute - cut into 1 cm cubes, 5 tbl cold water).
400 g of prepared mushrooms. Any fresh, edible mushrooms would do, just prepare them by cutting them up, putting them in a dry pan, medium heat with the lid on for 4 minutes, then the lid off until the liquid has evaporated.
8 miso butter onion halves here
330 g miso butter celeriac here
1 tsp of chaat or garam masala spice mix
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
60 g parmesan (or vegan substitute)
2 tbl cream (or vegan substitute)
Method:
Fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil, add the onions to the pan along with any gravy from their roasting, breaking them down with a spoon. Add the celeriac and again any gravy from their roasting.
Sprinkle in the spices and fry until almost all of the moisture has evaporated.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and grated parmesan (or substitutes). Leave to thoroughly cool.
Prepare your pastry using my "Go to" recipe and line your 28cm pie dish with the base. Pour in the cooled filling and spread it out evenly.
Place the pastry top over the filling and bake at 230°C for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 190°C for further 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Springing up like mushrooms!
Lactarius torminosus, commonly known as the woolly milkcap (suomeksi Karvarouskut)
Chanterelle
Some say, the queen of them all
Sieni salaatti (Finnish mushroom salad) Vegan option
The best mushrooms for this are salt preserved Woolly milkcaps. In which case, even after soaking the brine out of the mushrooms, you probably wont want any more salt*.
Ingredients:
4 dl finely chopped mushrooms (If using salted mushrooms - soak out the brine in copious amounts of water 6-8 hrs).
½ a medium sized onion, chopped up as finely as is possible
1 dl of sour cream or my vegan sour cream here
1 dl of creme fraiche (I have used vegan creme fraiche "Oatly's imat fraiche")
1 tsp white vinegar
½ tsp sugar
A few turns of pepper
* Salt to taste
Method:
Squeeze any excess moisture out of the mushrooms.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Let it stand for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Keeps in the fridge, well covered, for up to 5 days.
Vegan mushroom salad
POISONOUS! But beautiful
28th September, 2021
Funnel chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis) soup
For recipe see Web page or blog entry for 28th September, 2021