WILD MUSHROOM RECIPES

Ingredients
2kg (4 1/2 lb) chicken carcasses, preferably free-range or organic.
1 head of garlic, unpeeled and crushed,
6 sticks of celery, with the leaves roughly chopped
2 leeks, roughly chopped
2 onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of mint
5 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
5 whole black or green peppercorns
6 litres (10 and 1/2 pints) cold water

Method

Place the chicken carcasses, garlic, vegetables, herbs and peppercorns in a pan. Add the cold water and bring to the boil, skim immediately, then simmer gently for about three hours, skimming the top every half hour. Sieve the stock through a fine sieve or muslin clothe. Cool and then refrigerate. If you are not going to use all of it at once then portion it into plastic containers.

Mushroom and chicken recipes can use any of your favorite mushrooms either singly or in a combination of both wild and field mushrooms. The freshness of the mushroom should dictate your choice rather than sticking to a recipe.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, skinned and halved length ways
150ml/5fl oz of port
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
240ml/8fl oz fresh chicken stock
25g/1oz dried mushrooms a mixture of porcini, morels, chanterelles, cleaned
55g/2oz butter
1 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped
100g/3½oz fresh chestnut mushrooms, sliced
90ml/3fl oz double cream
A bunch of Fresh tarragon

Method

Place the chicken in 75ml/2½fl oz of the port wine, garlic and salt and leave to marinade for an hour. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and simmer to reduce slightly about twenty percent and pour it over the dried mushrooms and let them re-hydrate for an hour. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the stock. Sauté the shallot in the butter until translucent and add the fresh and dried mushrooms and sauté for five more minutes. Season and add the reserved stock the cream and the port and reduce by a third. Add the chicken breast and simmer for about fifteen minutes until they are done.

Rich, creamy and laced with wine, this mushroom chicken and pasta combination is perfect comfort food. Capers are the small, green flower buds of a bush that grows all over the Mediterranean. Pickled in wine, vinegar or brine, they lend a salty, lemony flavor to sauces, salads, veggies and main dishes. Use a piece of parmesan cheese and grate it yourself as needed shop bought parmesan that has been grated for ages loses its flavor and tastes like soap.

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white wine or fresh chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Salt and freshly crushed black pepper
Parmesan cheese freshly grated

Method

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms and onions in butter until tender, add the garlic in the last minute. Add the wine and boil rapidly for five minutes to reduce the liquid to half the volume, add the chicken Stir in cream and heat through add the parmesan to thicken.

Ingredients
2 x 225g/8oz beef fillet steaks
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks chopped finely into rings
2 slices of back bacon de-rinded and cut into cubes
For the mushroom sauce
115g/4oz morel mushrooms, cleaned
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
200ml/7fl oz red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

Method
Rub the beef fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush with two tablespoons of the oil. Heat a frying pan until smoking and add the steaks, frying for 3 minutes on both sides or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to warm serving plates to rest and cover with tin foil. Then fry the bacon and leeks until the bacon is crispy.

Reduce the heat, add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the shallots and the garlic for 2 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Stir in the morels and fry for 2 minutes, then season. Pour in the wine and chopped thyme leaves, then leave to simmer for 5-6 m

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
Small sprig of fresh thyme, chopped
6 ounces of butter
2 pounds crimini mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces
3 large leeks, with the very dark green parts of the top trimmed away,
2 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons flour
1 ½ pints of fresh chicken stock
Good slurp of dry sherry
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Whisk the cream just until soft peaks form and fold in three teaspoons of thyme. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to infuse the flavors, but serve at room temperature.

Heat the butter until hot but not quite smoking and cook the mushrooms for about eight minutes. Drain the mushrooms and place in a large pan. Fry the leeks and garlic until cooked the length of time will depend on how you have cut them anything from a minute to four minutes. Add the leeks to the cooked mushrooms, sprinkle with flour, and stir well until the flour is incorporated. Add the stock, thyme and seasoning. Bring to boil, and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Add the sherry and remove from the heat immediately.

Serve topped with generous dollops of the thyme cream.

Granny Harrell's Spicy Pasta with Creamy Garlic Mushrooms

Serves Four
Ingredients
250g wholewheat linguine
150 g Washed and chopped Ceps
100g leeks including green
3 cloves Garlic
4 Tablespoons of butter
250ml Single Cream
250 ml Dry white wine
Fresh ground pepper and course sea salt
Freshly chopped tarragon
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Method
Cook the pasta according to directions on the packet. Peel and finely chop the garlic and saute in the butter until it is translucent, then add the mushrooms and saute for three minutes, add the leeks and saute for two minutes. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Add the cream, and stir well, cooking it until it is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the tarragon. Serve over the wearm pasta.

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh mushrooms
1 oz. dried wild mushrooms, including morels
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 tablesploons olive oil
1 container ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons butter
gfreshly grated nutmeg
1 cup milk powder
3 teaspoons dried boullion
3 cups water
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.
1pound fresh spinach lasagna noodles.

For Mushroom Filling

Soak dry mushrooms (for about 1/2 hour) in enough hot water to cover. Sautee garlic first, then two pounds sliced mushrooms in olive oil. Drain soaked mushrooms (reserve the liquid), chop in food processor. Add 1/2 the sauteed mushrooms to processor, and chop those, too. Add chopped mixture to the sauteed mushrooms, add 1/2 cup chopped parsley and some thyme, and set aside.

For Sauce

In blender: 1 cup dry milk powder, 4 hefty teaspoons dry boullion , a pinch of nutmeg, 6 tablespoons butter, 6 tablespoons flour, the mushroom soaking liquid (along with any remaining liquid left by sauteed mushrooms) plus hot water to measure three cups. Pour into saucepan and thicken over heat.

Cheese Filling

In processor: 1 container ricotta, 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, 1/2 cup grated parmesan. After processing, add 1/2 cup sauce.

Assembly:

Butter baking dish. Place a layer of pasta, then sauce, then mushrooms, then sauce. Keep layering, ending with sauce. Sprinkle a thick layer of parmesan over top.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes