Mushroom varieties. ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor. Chanterelle mushroom

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Timothy Fitzgerald
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FORAGEDfeasts Rachel Demuth pairs locally picked wild mushrooms with hearty Eastern European recipes, for comforting dishes that celebrate the best of autumn.

For wild food lovers, October signals the end of the fruit season and the beginning ofmushroom foraging. While mushrooms do grow all year round, October brings a greater variety of the best species.

But don t leave it too late to start foraging, as falling leaves will cover the mushrooms and they will remain hidden. The best part of foraging is, of course, eating your finds.

1 FORAGEDfeasts Rachel Demuth pairs locally picked wild mushrooms with hearty Eastern European recipes, for comforting dishes that celebrate the best of autumn. Autumn is the season for wild mushrooms and naturally it s the best time of year for mushroom cooking too. For wild food lovers, October signals the end of the fruit season and the beginning ofmushroom foraging. While mushrooms do grow all year round, October brings a greater variety of the best species. As the autumn leaf colours arrive and leaves begin to fall, more mushrooms appear in the countryside, under trees, in hedgerows and in meadows. But don t leave it too late to start foraging, as falling leaves will cover the mushrooms and they will remain hidden. The best part of foraging is, of course, eating your finds. Wild fungi have more flavours, colours and textures than plain white cap mushrooms. Even wild field or horse mushrooms that are close relatives of the standard shop-bought mushroom have much more flavour when collected from a field. But remember you should always cook wild mushrooms, never eat them raw, so don t be tempted to nibble from your basket as you do when fruit picking. ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the awardwinning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel is now dedicated to running the Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School, which offers a range of themed workshops, guest chef events, cookery holidays in France and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian and Vegan Diplomas for professional chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled foodie, Rachel loves to combine her passion for global cuisine with the best of locally grown produce. If you don t have the opportunity to forage for your own mushrooms, you ll find that cultivated wild mushrooms are available on market stalls and supermarket shelves, so you can still enjoy their wonderful umami flavour. Look out for wild selections, which often contain shiitake, chanterelle, oyster and shimeji, and then make up the remaining quantity you need for your recipe with chestnut mushrooms. Choose a pack that looks fresh and dry if the mushrooms are dark and damp, they will be going bad. In supermarkets they are usually sold sealed in plastic, so you can t do the sniff test with loose mushrooms, if they smell off they will taste off too! Always try to eat mushrooms while they are as fresh as possible. It s best not to wash mushrooms, as they contain 90 per cent water and will act like sponges, soaking up the moisture and becoming soggy. To clean them, just wipe with a pastry brush or paper towel, or you can buy a special mushroom brush. The exception to this rule is when you are using wild mushrooms, which may be very gritty. These will need a gentle plunge into a bowl of water; a running tap is too violent and may damage them. Always dry the mushrooms with paper towel before frying as this will reduce the spitting when you add them to the hot oil. Store your mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge, never in plastic or covered with cling film, as this will make them sweat. Mushrooms are not good to freeze whole as when unfrozen they go soggy. If you have extra mushrooms that you want to freeze, it s best to cook them up and purée them ready to make a mushroom sauce or soup or add flavour and depth to a stew. In Europe, families forage fungi in the way we go hunting for blackberries. Wild mushrooms are plentiful in the woods of Europe and are an important component to many traditional dishes, such as Polish pierogi, Hungarian goulash and Austrian strudel, which I ve shared with you in this month s recipes. Chanterelle mushroom Mushroom varieties CHESTNUT mushrooms are brown-cap mushrooms, with more flavour than white-cap ones and are often organic. CHANTERELLE mushrooms have a beautiful orange colour and very distinctive taste. They are also called girolles in France. OYSTER mushrooms grow on the trunks of deciduous trees. They have a delicate flavour so are best in light dishes, shredded by hand and quickly stir-fried. KING OYSTER mushrooms are sometimes called trumpet mushrooms. They have a dense texture and a sweet mild taste. They make a good substitute for expensive porcini mushrooms. PORCINI (CEPS) are found wild in the woods in autumn. You can also buy them dried, with a more concentrated flavour. SHIITAKE are tough, dark brown mushrooms with a strong flavour. They grow on tree logs and are available to buy fresh and dried. They are well suited to Asian dishes. SHIMEJI are popular Japanese mushrooms and are known as white or brown beech mushrooms, as in the wild they grow on fallen beech trees. They have a nutty flavour and chewy texture. DRIED MUSHROOMS are an essential storecupboard ingredient. Use them to add flavour to stocks and soups by just adding a few, whole, or rehydrate them in hot water then chop and add to risottos, pasta dishes or stews. After rehydrating, you can use the soaking liquid as a stock just strain off any grit and dirt at the bottom of the soaking bowl first. ALL IMAGES ROB WICKS/EAT PICTURES UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. FOOD STYLING BY HELEN LAWRENCE _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd 38 06/09/ :04

2 Chef slarder PAPRIKA SCONES Hungarian goulash Goulash is a traditional Hungarian stew and the star of the dish is paprika. Paprika is made from a sweet large red pepper that is dried and ground into a rich red powder. Hungarian paprika is on the sweet side and mildly hot. Serves 4 Prep 30 mins Cook 40 mins 10g dried porcini mushrooms 250ml hot water 2 tbsp olive oil 8 small shallots, cut in half 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced 250g large field mushrooms, thickly sliced 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved 4 cloves garlic, sliced 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 2 tbsp sweet paprika ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp tomato purée 250g potatoes, peeled and diced 250g tomatoes, diced 250ml lightly flavoured beer 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley pinch of salt 1 Cover the dried porcini mushrooms with the hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables and get the stew going. 2 In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the shallots for 10 minutes until soft. HUNGARIAN GOULASH 3 Add the peppers, mushrooms, garlic and thyme all together and fry for another for 10 minutes until soft. 4 Add the paprika, black pepper and tomato purée and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, beer, and rehydrated dried mushrooms with their soaking water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. 5 Add the chopped parsley and salt to taste. Serve with traditional noodles or our paprika scones (see recipe, below). PER SERVING 185 cals, fat 6g, sat fat 1g, carbs 20g, sugars 9g, protein 7g, salt 0.30g, fibre 6g Paprika scones Makes 15 Prep 15 mins Cook 15 mins 250g self-raising flour 1 tbsp paprika 60g cold butter, diced 150ml plain yogurt 1 free-range egg, beaten sea salt and black pepper 1 Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 In a large bowl, mix the flour with the paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper, and rub in the butter. Stir in the yogurt and egg (reserving 1 tablespoon to glaze) to get a soft, slightly sticky dough. HOW TO COOK MUSHROOMS FRYING Sauté mushrooms in rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil, but don t be too generous with the oil as they will absorb lots, so it s best to use less and stir often and the mushrooms will start to cook in their own juices. Mushrooms love heat and should sizzle when they cook to seal in the flavour and evaporate their moisture. They generally release a lot of their moisture during cooking and then draw it back in, so wait for the point when they become dry and begin to crisp on the edges. EN PAPILLOTE Basically, this is roasting in a paper bag. This is a lovely way to cook wild mushrooms as they retain all their unique flavours. Cut a piece of baking parchment large enough to hold the mushrooms and big enough to fold over and twist, so that the mushrooms are in a sealed pouch and will steam in their own juices. Rub the mushrooms in a little oil and add flavourings such as rosemary and thyme, chilli flakes, black pepper and flaky salt. 4 Turn onto a floured work surface and knead gently. Shape into a large round 2cm thick and use a 4cm cutter to cut out the scones. 5 Place on the baking tray and brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of beaten egg. Bake for minutes, until well risen and golden. COOK S TIP You can make the scones mini too, just use a smaller cutter and they will need a shorter time to bake. PER SCONE 100 cals, fat 4g, sat fat 2g, carbs 13g, sugars 1g, protein 3g, salt 0.17g, fibre 1g Important foraging advice If you re new to mushroom foraging, always go picking with an experienced guide who knows your local area, as some wild mushrooms are poisonous and correct identification by an expert is absolutely essential before you eat any of your finds _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd 39 06/09/ :04

Chef slarder Pierogi Pierogi are small, filled dumplings made with a very thin bread dough. It is the Polish national dish but they are also popular throughout Eastern Europe.

Serves 4 Prep 1 hr + resting and soaking Cook 20 mins For the pastry: 1 tsp dried active yeast 4 tbsp warm water ¼ tsp sugar 200g strong white bread flour 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp hot water For the

50g mixed wild mushrooms, chopped 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped 50ml red wine 100g sauerkraut 30g prunes, chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice sea salt and black pepper olive oil, for brushing For the

yeast. Pour the yeasty water into the flour and mix, then add the olive oil and hot water. Knead for 1 minute until smooth, then cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

3 Heat the olive oil and fry the onion with the bay leaves and thyme until soft, then add the ground spices and fry for 1 minute.

3 Chef slarder Pierogi Pierogi are small, filled dumplings made with a very thin bread dough. It is the Polish national dish but they are also popular throughout Eastern Europe. Pierogi can be made with both sweet and savoury fillings. Serves 4 Prep 1 hr + resting and soaking Cook 20 mins For the pastry: 1 tsp dried active yeast 4 tbsp warm water ¼ tsp sugar 200g strong white bread flour 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp hot water For the filling: 10g dried shiitake mushrooms ½ tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp caraway seeds ½ tsp juniper berries ½ tsp ground allspice 1 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, diced 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme 50g mixed wild mushrooms, chopped 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped 50ml red wine 100g sauerkraut 30g prunes, chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice sea salt and black pepper olive oil, for brushing For the yogurt and dill dip: 1 2 cloves garlic pinch of salt 150ml thick yogurt handful of dill, chopped 1 To make the dough, mix the yeast with the warm water and sugar and wait 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Pour the yeasty water into the flour and mix, then add the olive oil and hot water. Knead for 1 minute until smooth, then cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling. 2 To make the filling, cover the dried mushrooms with hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Grind the whole spices and add to the ground allspice. 3 Heat the olive oil and fry the onion with the bay leaves and thyme until soft, then add the ground spices and fry for 1 minute. Add the wild and fresh shiitake mushrooms and fry on a high heat until they release their juices. Add the red wine, reduce for a minute, then add the sauerkraut and chopped prunes. 4 Remove the rehydrated dried mushrooms from their soaking water and chop them up. Add them, along with the soaking water, to the mixture and cook until the mixture is dry. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. 5 Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Divide the dough into 24 small balls and roll each one out on a floured surface to a 3mmthick circle. Place a teaspoon of the filling onto each circle and fold over to create a half circle. Press the edges well to seal, using a little water to dampen the edges to help them stick, if needed. Bring the two ends together to make a tortellini shape, as shown. 6 Place the pierogi onto a baking tray, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake for minutes until golden. 7 Meanwhile, make the yogurt and dill dip. Crush the garlic with the salt to make a smooth paste, add the yogurt and dill and mix well. Refrigerate and serve chilled alongside the pierogi. PER SERVING 342 cals, fat 10g, sat fat 2g, carbs 47g, sugars 7g, protein 12g, salt 0.38g, fibre 4g The pierogi are vegan, but ensure you use a nondairy yogurt when making your accompanying dip _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd 40 06/09/ :04

4 PIEROGI _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd /09/ :04

5 Chef slarder Mushroom strudel Strudel originated in Austria, but is common throughout central and eastern Europe. Created with layered enriched pastry that is rolled very thinly, the pastry can be made from scratch but it is far easier to buy readymade puff. Traditionally strudel is sweet and cooked with apple, but it is also popular with savoury fillings, such as cabbage, pumpkin, mushroom and sauerkraut. Serves 4 Prep 40 mins Cook 40 mins 300g potatoes, peeled and diced 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, diced 1 tsp caraway seeds, ground ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 3 cloves garlic, chopped 150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 150g wild mushrooms, sliced 300g chard or cabbage, sliced 1 free-range egg, beaten 100g sour cream or plain yogurt 25g vegetarian hard cheese, grated 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped sea salt and black pepper 275g puff pastry 1 Boil the potatoes in plenty of water for minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside. 2 In a large frying pan, heat the butter and fry the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper for 5 minutes until soft. Add the caraway, nutmeg and garlic and fry for another minute. 3 Add the mushrooms and fry until they are soft and releasing their juices. Add the chard or cabbage and cook down for a minute or two. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked potatoes. Allow to cool slightly. 4 Whisk together the egg (reserving 1 tablespoon to glaze), sour cream or yogurt, grated cheese and dill. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir this into the mushroom mixture and leave in the fridge to cool completely. 5 Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll out the puff pastry into a large rectangle as thin as possible, at most, 2mm thick. Place onto a sheet of baking parchment and spread the mushroom mixture down the length of the pastry. Fold up the sides, making sure they overlap by 10cm on top. Pinch the ends of the pastry together gently. Roll the pastry over so the overlap is now on the bottom. 6 Using the parchment to help you, lift the pastry onto a baking tray and shape into a crescent-moon shape, pinching the ends to a point and trimming off excess pastry to make it neat. With a small sharp knife, make some small incisions across the strudel, marking it all the way along the length. Brush the top with the reserved beaten egg. 7 Place the strudel in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 for a further 10 minutes to make sure the pastry is cooked through, puffed up and a deep golden colour. Serve hot with seasonal vegetables. PER SERVING 495 cals, fat 28g, sat fat 18g, carbs 45g, sugars 5g, protein 13g, salt 1.08g, fibre 4g _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd 42 06/09/ :04

6 SPICED BAKED FRUIT MUSHROOM STRUDEL _VL99[RD_EastEuro]NTSJ.indd 43 06/09/ :04

Magical mushrooms. Chef slarder

Magical mushrooms. Chef slarder Chef slarder Magical mushrooms From a simple supper on toast to an Asian stir-fry or hearty winter pie, professional chef and cookery school tutor Rachel Demuth shows how mushrooms have the potential to