mmmm.... mushrooms

It's atrocious, my absence. All I can do is offer this amazingly earthy, rich (and healthy) mushroom soup and beg forgiveness:

Super mushroomy soup
(serves 2)

500 g large mushrooms, stems removed, sliced, and stems chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp Marigold bouillon powder added to 1/2 litre freshly boiled water
25 g chives, chopped
25 g dried mushrooms, soaked in 1 pint water
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp truffle oil (if you don't have it, just use olive oil)
100 ml skim milk

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the fresh mushrooms, onions and thyme and saute over med-high heat for a few minutes, adding splashes of water as needed.

After five minutes, add the dried mushrooms, the mushroom water, and the bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to pull out about 1/3 of the mushrooms and put to the side. Use a hand blender to blend the rest of the soup. Replace the mushroom/onion mixture and bring back to a simmer.

In a small saucepan, heat the skimmed milk, but don't bring to a boil. Then stir through the soup, along with half of the chives and the truffle oil.

Serve the soup topped with the remainder of the chives, some cracked black pepper and some creme fraiche (optional - I didn't have it, but my husband did).

Calories: 200 calories per serving (without creme fraiche). (To bulk it up for others, add some bread and butter.)

"I'm definitely making this again," I said to Pete halfway through. To which he responded: "I'm definitely eating this again."

mushroom frittata with truffle oil

The truffle oil I bought at Borough Market over the holidays has been sitting in my cupboards, waiting patiently for me to use it. Saturday morning was just the time.

Mushroom frittata was on the menu, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit. In spring, a bit of goats cheese in a mushroom and asparagus frittata tastes fresh and lively. But in winter, something a bit richer, a bit deeper is in order.

So in addition to the eggs, shallots and mushrooms in the frittata base, I added one slice of bread’s worth of breadcrumbs to the top and one tiny teaspoon (that’s all you need!) to the dish before placing it under the grill for about 3 minutes. The results were astounding.

Truffle oil may be expensive, but all of the flavour that was pulled out of that little teaspoon is certainly value for money. Save it for special occasions (or a cosy January breakfast).

If you’re not sure how to make a frittata, click here for a basic recipe.

mushroom mad

Yesterday I got a little carried away on a mushroom trip (not that kind). They just taste so good at the moment, so I have stocked up.

For breakfast, scrambled eggs with mushrooms on toast. It’s a really healthy and sustaining breakfast – the only additions needed are a few sprays of oil, a splash of skimmed milk, and any seasonings desired. (I just stuck with pepper, though thyme or parsley would work well too.)

For lunch, mushroom soup, leftover from one I’d made and frozen a month or so ago. Still just as good as ever, heated on the hob. Adding some freshly chopped spring onions enlivened the soup and brought it back to the present day.

For dinner – the piece de resistance – steak with a red wine and wild mushroom sauce with broccoli and courgettes. For the steak, it’s important to pick a lean cut – like sirloin, or rump (trimmed) – and then grill it. I like mine quite rare.

The sauce does require some oil and a bit of flour – but as long as the quantities are closely monitored there’s no problem.

Red wine and mushroom sauce
(serves 2)

250 g mixed mushrooms (chestnut, portobella, etc.), sliced
4 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
200 ml red wine (something you’d be happy to drink)
1 tbsp flour
250 ml hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and sauté until the shallots are translucent – about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over and coat the mushroom mixture. Continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add the red wine and stir quickly, allowing the mixture to bubble furiously. A red roux will appear. Add the stock slowly, stirring all the while. Season and continue to simmer for another few minutes, until the steak and vegetables are ready.

I’m not always a fan of red wine sauces – they can be a bit rich, and the quality of the wine is critical. Anything too acidic or too flimsy will ruin the sauce.

Adding something sweet to the sauce, like cherries, would make it a great sauce for poultry meats like duck. I saw a mouth-watering recipe for duck with wild mushrooms and fig sauce on Epicurious last week.

Weekend cooking

It's Friday morning, 7:30am. My eyes lock on the contents of the refrigerator, quickly spotting eggs, milk, mushrooms, cheese, courgettes. Grabbing only the eggs and milk (and on a good day, the mushrooms), I whip up a quick scrambled eggs on toast, quickly scarfing it down before heading out the door.

Fast forward 26 hours. Saturday morning, nearly 10am. The refrigerator door opens and the same contents as yesterday sit inside, waiting to be chosen. But whereas yesterday, my mind could only wrap itself around a quick scrambled eggs on toast, this morning is different. Frittata with mushrooms and courgettes... and some shallots, topped with goats cheese and finished off under the grill. Divine.

Let's face it, sometimes food is functional. But other times, food is wonderful, experimental, exciting, amazing. I love nothing more than having the time to dream up new recipes, not feeling the weight of "where do I need to be?" hanging over my shoulders.

Food is also relaxing - when there is time to relax. On a Tuesday evening, I find nothing more therapeutic than slicing peppers, chopping tomatoes and dicing onions for whatever concoction I dreamed up on the 106 on the way home. It's important to grab a few minutes when possible - I keep a notebook for my ideas that has served me well. But five minutes on a bus is nothing compared to twenty on the couch with a cup of tea. My best brainstorming is done on a Saturday morning.

Scrambled eggs are glammed up as a frittata - a quick vegetable soup becomes a finely blended strained carrot soup with cumin - grilled fish and two vegs becomes... well, grilled fish and two veg. I love that combination and really the star quality of it is it's simple elegance - 20 minutes, it tastes like it should. I like food that tastes like itself. That's not to say the weekend might allow me time to experiment with a new sauce though...

(for the fritatta recipe, click here)

Weekend cooking

It's Friday morning, 7:30am. My eyes lock on the contents of the refrigerator, quickly spotting eggs, milk, mushrooms, cheese, courgettes. Grabbing only the eggs and milk (and on a good day, the mushrooms), I whip up a quick scrambled eggs on toast, quickly scarfing it down before heading out the door.

Fast forward 26 hours. Saturday morning, nearly 10am. The refrigerator door opens and the same contents as yesterday sit inside, waiting to be chosen. But whereas yesterday, my mind could only wrap itself around a quick scrambled eggs on toast, this morning is different. Frittata with mushrooms and courgettes... and some shallots, topped with goats cheese and finished off under the grill. Divine.

Let's face it, sometimes food is functional. But other times, food is wonderful, experimental, exciting, amazing. I love nothing more than having the time to dream up new recipes, not feeling the weight of "where do I need to be?" hanging over my shoulders.

Food is also relaxing - when there is time to relax. On a Tuesday evening, I find nothing more therapeutic than slicing peppers, chopping tomatoes and dicing onions for whatever concoction I dreamed up on the 106 on the way home. It's important to grab a few minutes when possible - I keep a notebook for my ideas that has served me well. But five minutes on a bus is nothing compared to twenty on the couch with a cup of tea. My best brainstorming is done on a Saturday morning.

Scrambled eggs are glammed up as a frittata - a quick vegetable soup becomes a finely blended strained carrot soup with cumin - grilled fish and two vegs becomes... well, grilled fish and two veg. I love that combination and really the star quality of it is it's simple elegance - 20 minutes, it tastes like it should. I like food that tastes like itself. That's not to say the weekend might allow me time to experiment with a new sauce though...

(for the fritatta recipe, click here)