Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Wild mushrooms with lemon and nutmeg

It is time! For wild mushrooms! One of our favorite meals in autumn. We prefer it pretty simple, with either an omelette or a risotto or, as in this case, a crusty baguette. Bolets and girolles are sautéed in olive oil, a little knob of butter and served with lemon juice, nutmeg and a persillade(mix of shallots, garlic and parsley. It speaks of autumn and forest and cool days. And what else is autumn about after all.

I dont give exact quantities because it depends on the type of mushrooms you have and on your appetite. I used about 200g.

Bolets and girolles wild mushrooms

Recipe:

  • About 200g mix of different wild mushrooms like girolles, chanterelles, trompettes de mort, bolets, cepes and whatever safe edible ones you can find in the woods or on the market.
  • 1 onion or two shallots
  • A bouquet of fresh parsley
  • 1 big clove of garlic
  • juice of half a lemon
  • nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • knob of butter
  1. Clean the mushrooms with a brush or rinse under running water and dry immediately with a dry towel.
  2. Melt the butter along with olive oil in a pan.
  3. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are almost tender and caramelized.
  4. Chop the onion or shallots and garlic and add to the mushrooms. Sauté for another few minutes until soft and translucent and the mushrooms caramelized.
  5. Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice and grated nutmeg to taste.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve warm with crusty baguette and butter.

Serves 2 people

Girolles washed and dried with a dry towel and the bolets cleaned with a soft brush while the stems are scraped with a knife.

Pinch of salt:

  1. Mushrooms shrink a lot when cooked, so get more than you think you need..
  2. Don’t soak mushrooms in water, they absorb water very quickly and get soggy. I prefer to use asoft brush.
  3. Make sure you pick edible safe mushrooms when you go pick in the woods, or take to your pharmacist for identification.
  4. Serve sautéed wild mushrooms with an omelette or a risotto or top off a mushroom soup with a mix of wild mushrooms.
  5. A venison pie is delicious with wild mushrooms.
Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Mushroom soup and November colours.

A mushroom velouté is just what we need for the month of november. I used the ordinary champignon de Paris, the button mushroom, but the bolet from Bordeaux also makes an excellent velouté for a special evening since it is rather on the expensive side. If you are looking for a quick and inexpensive, but still delicious meal, this soup is it. It tastes of earth and forest and spectacular colours.

Mushroom soup.

  • 1 large onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • olive oil
  • 500 g champignon de Paris(button mushrooms)
  • 500 ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)
  • 3Tsbp crĂ©me fraĂ®che or thick cream
  • grated nutmeg
  • fresh thyme
  1. Peel and slice the onion. Peel and cut the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic in a pot in some olive oil until translucent. Take care not to burn the garlic.
  2. Clean and slice the mushrooms and add to the onions.
  3. Add the chicken stock and thyme leaves and simmer for 30 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
  4. Remove from the heat and mix with an electric blender until smooth.
  5. Add the cream and stir through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and grated nutmeg.
  6. Place back on heat and simmer on low heat for another 5- 10 minutes.
  7. Serve hot with toasted wholewheat country bread.

Suggestions:

  • Fry some coppa italian ham and serve on top of the soup.
  • Keep some mushrooms aside and fry to serve on top of the soup.
  • Replace the button mushrooms with cĂ©pes mushrooms (porcini mushrooms). Keep some aside and fry to serve on top with chopped fresh italian parsley.

Serves 4 people

Two mushrooms, oil on board, 15x15cm

November is still a beautiful month where all the leaves hang on for the last show of autumn. Greens and ochres and siennas come together in a magnificent explosion against bright and dark skies. Winds blow, the mist hang low in the valleys and heavy skies are preparing for winter rains. It is the month to store away garden furniture, bring fragile plants indoors and light evening fires. November is not really autumn any more, but it is not yet winter. It is whatever you want it to be.