Recipies: Fungi
Champignon a la Greque
Put in a pan 225g (¼pt) water, the juice of ½ lemon, ½ coffee
cup (140ml) olive oil, thyme, bayleaf, a piece of celery, black pepper, salt
and about 12 coriander seeds, and bring to the boil. Then put in 225g (2lb)
button mushrooms and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Leave to cool in their juice
and serve cold with a little of the juice spooned over.
Mushroom Soup
Finely chop a large onion and cook gently in 50g (2oz) butter until transparent.
Coarsely chop 225g (½lb) mushrooms and add them to the onion and cook
for a few minutes. Pour on enough water to come nearly to the top of the vegetables-about
140m1 (¼pt). Season well with salt and pepper, cover the pan and cook
gently until the vegetables are soft. Put through a blender or vegetable moulé
until the mixture is a thick purée. Thin down to required consistency
with milk and, if liked, some cream. Check seasoning, reheat and serve.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Melt 1 large chopped onion and a crushed clove of garlic in some fat or butter.
Moisten 50g (2oz) breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons milk and mix with the onion
and garlic and 225g (½lb) good sausagemeat, the chopped stalks of the
mushrooms, chopped parsley, salt and pepper and an egg. (Other kinds of meat
could be used in place of the sausagemeat such as left over chicken or lamb.)
Stuff the mushrooms and bake at 220° C (425° F) gas mark 7, for
15-20 minutes.
Stewed Mushrooms
Stew in butter, meat stock, milk or cream. When soft and cooked, season with
salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and, if liked, some cayenne or paprika
pepper.
Mushroom Ketchup
Allow 35g (12 oz) salt to every 450g (1 lb) of dry, ripe; broken-up mushrooms.
Put in layers with the salt in a stone jar and leave for 3-4 days. Stir and
press occasionally. At the end, press well, cover jar and put in a cool oven
for 2-3 hours, according to quantity. Strain through a fine sieve pressing
gently to extract all the juice and to each 1.1l (1qt) of liquid allow 12g
(½oz) allspice, ½ root ginger, 2 blades of mace, 1 chopped shallot
and a pinch of cayenne (if liked). Put these in a muslin bag and boil with
the liquid for about 2-3 hours or until well reduced. Then, if you have the
facilities, put in sterilising bottles and sterilise for 15 minutes. If you
haven't, it is not vital but the ketchup may not keep as well. Another improvement
is to boil red wine in the proportion of 1 : 4 with the liquid.
Stuffing
Mince as finely as possible the same weight of parsley and mushrooms. Mince
also a little less than half the weight of shallots and cook together in hot
butter on a brisk heat for 5 minutes. Season and, if liked, add some breadcrumbs
and a beaten egg to the mixture.
Chicken with Ceps
Flour chicken joints and brown in olive oil, then add 450g (1 lb) sliced ceps.
Cover pan, simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked, adding stock
from time to time keeping 1cm (½in) liquid in the pan. Meanwhile, chop
the stalks and mix with 2 chopped cloves of garlic and some chopped parsley,
oepperand salt. Transfer the chicken to another dish and keep warm. Put the
garlic mixture into the pan and boil ;astforl minute, pour over chicken end
serve.
Mushroom Puree
Chop mushrooms finely and cook them slowly in butter-they must not fry. Stew
until soft. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon, mash and reheat,
adding enough bechamel sauce to give the right taste and consistency.
Mushrooms on Toast
Heat some butter in a pan and add cleaned, sliced mushrooms. Stew for a few
minutes then add parsley or chives, salt and pepper, and about 4 tablespoons
cream for 225g (½lb) mushrooms. Stir for about 5 minutes until it thickens.
Serve poured onto toast.
