Month: July 2025

Chanterelle mushrooms with fried potatoes.

It is chanterelle season on the mainland. Chanterelle mushrooms grow in damp acid soil, usually woodland, with lots of leaf litter. The mycelium lives in symbiosis with the tree roots, and in the later part of the summer, it produces delicious yellow mushrooms. We were lucky enough to be given a large container full, so I split it with my daughter. I think she cooked hers with spaghetti. I went with this recipe from ‘Dear Francesca’ by Mary Contini. 

This recipe is very free in quantities. Use what you have and divide it between the people who are with you. Add other options to the plate, such as hot-smoked salmon, or an omelette, or a steak. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, around 200g
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Chopped parsley
  • black pepper
  • a squeeze of lemon (optional)
  • 4-5 salad potatoes, such as charlotte potatoes
  • A blob of butter

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes until firm and tender. Cool and chop into bite-sized cubes. 
  • Warm the oil in a wok or wide-based saucepan, and fry the garlic with a little parsley.
  • Once the garlic is beginning to cook, turn up the heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Keep stirring. As they cook they will release quite a bit of water. Once the mixture is at its wettest (you’ll have to guess a bit) scoop out the mushrooms and set them aside. 
  • Add the blob of butter, and once it has melted, add the potatoes, and cook on a high heat until the potatoes are browned and crispy on the outside. 
  • Return the mushrooms to the pan, warm through and season with black pepper and a little lemon juice. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. 

Mushrooms and bere berries

Last year Malcolm and I went to Orkney on a jaunt (or was it the year before). We visited the splendid Barony Mill, a traditional set up. We bought a range of flours, and we also bought some bere berries. I used these to make a traditional spanish dish with mushrooms, totally wonderful. 

Bere is a grain similar to wheat, and can be used in the same way as barley in orzotto, soups and similar dishes. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 50g bere berries
  • 1/2 onion
  • 400g mushrooms (could be a mixture of wild and cultivated, try adding porcini)
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
  • Juice of 1/2 small lemon
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Simmer the bere berries with the half onion in a litre of water for around 1 hour. Once the bere berries are tender, drain the mixture.
  • Pick over the mushrooms and chop  them roughly. 
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, and add the garlic. 
  • As soon as the garlic starts to brown, add the cumin and the mushrooms, lower the heat and cook for around five minutes
  • Add the bere berries, coriander leaf, leom juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

This is delicious as a snack or side dish. Serve with salad, warm flat bread, a green salad, wine.