Food

Marvellous Mushrooms

MY FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MUSHROOMS IS HOW TRULY VERSATILE THEY ARE, THEY WORK IN SO MANY DISHES AND ADD SUCH A GOOD FLAVOUR

Creamy Mushroom Pasta Sauce

A simple classic mushroom sauce, ideally made with locally grown, seasonal mushrooms of your choice Serves 4 Ingredients: 500g mushrooms of your choice, sliced 40g butter 1 tblsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large shallot, finely chopped 175ml white wine 175ml vegetable stock 250ml crème fraîche 40g parmesan cheese, finely grated Method: 1.

2.

3. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring regularly. When they start to sweat, add a pinch of salt & pepper. After 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and shallot to the pan and cook for another minute or so until beginning to brown. Add the wine, scraping the pan and simmer rapidly until almost all the wine has evaporated. Add the stock, crème fraîche, parmesan and some salt & pepper to 5. taste. Stir to dissolve the cheese and simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly. Serve with your favourite pasta with some chopped parsley and extra grated parmesan!

Chicken and Mushroom Sauté

Now the temperatures have dropped we can enjoy being back in the kitchen and cooking delicious warming dishes. Serves 4 Ingredients 50g butter 8 chicken thighs or legs (or a mix of both) 1 onion, peeled & chopped 20g plain flour 300ml chicken stock 250g mushrooms, sliced 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce Salt & pepper Serves 6 Ingredients 6 large Portobello mushrooms 3 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, finely chopped 6 heaped tsps pesto (any variety) 6 heaped tsps grated parmesan cheese Salt & pepper Method: 1.

2.

3. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chicken thighs and onion and fry until the chicken joints are browned. Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the stock. Bring to the boil and skim off any excess fat. Stir in the mushrooms, the soy and Worcestershire sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Check the seasoning and sprinkle with

Baked Mushrooms with Pesto

chopped parsley, great with mash! Method 1.

2.

3. Preheat the oven to 220 c/220 c fan/gas 7 Line a baking sheet with non-stick paper or foil. Carefully remove the mushroom stalks and season the inside of the mushrooms with salt & pepper. Finely chop the stalks. 4. 5. 6.

Hello from the accidental Chatelaine! I love to cook at any opportunity and delighted to be able to share that love with you

By Belinda Prince

Chateau Kitchen

www.chateaumareuil.com Heat the oil in a sauté pan and fry the whole mushrooms over a high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Place on the prepared baking sheet with the gills facing up. Sauté the shallot and chopped mushroom stalks until golden. Spread a tsp of pesto over each mushroom, top with the mushroom and shallot mixture and sprinkle on a tsp of grated parmesan. Cook in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.

Mushroom Bouchées aka Vol au Vent

Makes 30 Ingredients 30 ready-made puff pastry bouchées (mini vol-au-vents) 15g butter 125g mushrooms of your choice, finely chopped 1 large shallot, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp crème fraîche Salt & pepper Thyme sprigs to garnish Method: 1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme. Stir fry until tender and crisp – about 5-10 minutes.

2. Stir in the crème fraiche and remove from the heat. Season to taste.

3.

Warm the bouchées in a low oven for about 5 mins. Use a teaspoon (or two) to fill the bouchées with the mushroom mixture. Top with a thyme sprig to garnish. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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