Deepest autumn, a wet morning. We returned from mushrooms and walked home with more than a handful of soft brown fungi, sautéed in a pan of butter with a handful of chopped tamarind and a squeeze of lemon. We bravely and foolishly ate them, not knowing what we had taken.
I'm older and wiser now, living far from the woods where we once dined, or the golf courses where we hunted a different kind of mushroom on Sunday afternoons with crooked shafts and fairy hats.
Now, my collection is done from greengrocers, where mushrooms are sold in boxes, field mushrooms are saucer-sized, round cups like chestnuts and others, packed in bunches and imprisoned in cellophane. Fresh shiitake is more subtle than dried ones, with an overload of umami.
The shimeji I bought today, a cheesy custard and fairy mushrooms to fill small tarts of herbs, reminds me of the fun we had in the woods, but I could have used brown button mushrooms instead.
These are very easy to find and cheap. Sticky rice sits atop a bowl, followed by fried shiitake with a honey-colored sauce of miso and ginger. Delicious, even without the extra seasoning of dinner, we've dined on.
Mushroom tarts
As much as I love bringing a big tart to the table for everyone to share, there's something nice about having a small one to yourself. I use 8cm pastry rings, rather than tart cases, but use what you have, making sure to push the pastry deep into the corners. Makes 8 x 8-9 cm tarts. Ready in 1.5 hours.
For the pastry:
Plain flour 180 grams
Butter 90 grams
Egg yolk 1
For filling:
Double cream 200 ml
Parmesan skin A piece of about 50 grams
Small mushroomsLike shimeji, girols or button
250 grams
Olive oil 3 tbsp
dill 5 grams
Thyme 5 grams
Tarragon 5 grams
Eggs 2, medium
You will need 2 baking sheets and 8 tart tins, each 8-9cm in diameter and 2-3cm high.
Place the flour in a food processor, add the butter in small pieces, then process into fine crumbs. Make a rollable dough (2 or 3 tbsp) by adding egg yolk, a pinch of salt and enough water. Turn the dough out onto a board, pat into a ball and wrap in kitchen paper, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Make the filling: Pour the cream into a medium saucepan, then add the parmesan cheese and bring to a boil. Watch carefully, and when the cream begins to boil, immediately remove from the heat, then cover with a lid.
If you are using button mushrooms, thinly slice them. Trim the roots of shimeji or other small mushrooms. Heat the oil in a small, shallow pan. Fry for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms are translucent. Chop the herbs and mix with the mushrooms and set aside.
Remove the pastry from the fridge, then roll out into a large rectangle, large enough to cut into 8 x 11cm discs. (You may want to cut the dough into 12 and then roll each ball individually, I often go that way.) Using a 10-11cm sided plate or saucer, cut out 6 discs of pastry. Line the tartlet cases and push the pastry into the corners and sides of the tins. Trim excess pastry. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Set the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and place an inverted baking sheet on the middle shelf to heat. Place another baking sheet on top of this.
Fill each tart case with baking parchment or foil (you can screw it into a ball or weight it with baking beans). Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the paper or foil and the beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until dry to the touch.
Reduce heat to 180C/gas mark. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat gently, then add the cream (remove the Parmesan rind). Season with salt and pepper, add the roasted mushrooms, fill the pastry cases and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly puffed and golden.
Miso mushrooms
A bowl of sticky white rice goes well here. Serves 2. Ready in 30 minutess
Shiitake mushrooms 150 g, fresh
Red or yellow pepper 1
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
White miso paste 2 heaped tbsp
Mirin 2 tbsp
Rice vinegar 1 tbsp
Garlic 2 cloves
Ginger 40 gram piece
Water 100 ml
Check the shiitake and remove any tough ends from the stems. Cut the peppers in half, then into thin strips. Heat the oil in a shallow pan or wok and fry the chillies on a medium flame for 7 or 8 minutes until they are very soft and slightly coloured. Then add the shiitake and continue to cook.
Place the miso paste in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then stir in the mirin and rice vinegar. Peel the garlic cloves and, using a pinch of salt or the flat side of a heavy knife, crush them into a paste. Stir the garlic paste into the miso.
Peel the ginger and grind it to a puree using a fine-toothed grater. Mix in the miso mixture with the water. When the mushrooms are soft and well cooked, stir in the miso sauce and toss with the mushrooms. Serve while the sauce is bubbling.
