Chanterelles with garlic and potatoes

I have been given some delicious foraged chanterelles from the mainland, and it is not an ingredient I get too often. I tried this very simple Italian recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Approx 125g chanterelles, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clover of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • approx 250g cooked salad potatoes, chopped
  • 15g butter

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large pan, and add the garlic and the parsley, and cook gently for a couple of minutes
  • Turn the heat up a bit and add the sliced chanterelles, and cook for around five minutes. Remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon, and mix in the lemon juice.
  • Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potatoes. Cook them on a high heat until they are getting crispy, and then return the chanterelles to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Serve once the mushrooms are warmed through. 
  • You could garnish with chive flowers, or chopped parsley. 

 

Chanterelles with tagliatelle in a cream sauce

A kind friend gave me a large paper bag that contained around 400g of chanterelle mushrooms, foraged from a secret location on the mainland. These are a rare treat, and are best cooked simply, going well with garlic and butter. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 90g unsalted butter, divided into two
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped, or half a large onion. 
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 60ml dry white wine
  • 400g chanterelles, brushed clean (halved if large)
  • 120ml double cream
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • A good pinch of dried oregano
  • Juice from half a lemon
  • 200g tagliatelle or pappardelle

METHOD

  • Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan, and fry the onion over a medium heat until softened. 
  • Season with salt and pepper, and add the garlic, cooking for a further couple of minutes.
  • Stir in the wine and continue cooking for another couple of minutes, reducing the sauce down.
  • Add the remaining butter, and when it has melted, add the mushrooms. Continue to cook, stirring from time to time, for a further five minutes.
  • Stir in the cream, oregano and a good grating of nutmeg, and continue to cook until it thickens a little, about another two minutes.
  • Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. 
  • Drain the pasta, return to the pasta pan, stir in the sauce with the lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning if required,
  • Serve in warmed bowls.