Tim Dover, of The Roost in Bridge of Earn, finds a delicious way to use up a common vegetable.
The recent hot climate has been ideal for wild mushrooms to grow and this has meant that they are popping up early all over Perthshire, the most common being the chantarelle.
These mushrooms have a sweet, fruity smell like apricots and a sweet, earthy flavour to them. Throughout the season we use them in the restaurant to enhance and lift many dishes on the menu.
If you are new to foraging and apprehensive to try to pick them yourself then I would thoroughly recommend purchasing a book written by Rodger Phillips entitled Mushrooms. I have found this book to be invaluable to ensure anything I pick is safe to eat.
Chantarelles can be misidentified by many as there is such a thing as the false chantarelle. These look really similar to the real thing. Although they are not poisonous, they taste terribly bitter and have been known to give people upset stomachs.
The one unmistakeable difference between the true chantarelle and fake chantarelle are the gills. A true chantarelle has primitive gills, a fake chantarelle has true gills.
I love chantarelles and I would really recommend anyone to try to find them themselves, but in a safe and considerate manner. Here is a simple recipe for you to try that I often make for the family at home.
Fusilli pasta with chantarelles and pancetta
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 320g dried fusilli pasta
- 400g fresh chantarelles
- Olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 80g flat leaf parsley
- 160g pancetta lardons
- Salt and pepper to season
- 10g fresh thyme leaves
- Parmesan cheese
Method
- Clean mushrooms with a brush and knife, rub stubborn dirt off with a damp kitchen towel.
- Work with as little water as possible, as the mushrooms could soak it up and no longer taste good. Then cut the chanterelles, but not into too small pieces, then wash and dry the parsley and chop finely.
- Sauté the mushrooms in a coated pan with some oil and two whole, pressed garlic cloves for about 6-8 minutes on a medium heat. Towards the end, stir in a good half of the parsley and remove the garlic. Salt is only added to mushrooms at the very end of their preparation.
- In the meantime, cook the fusilli until al dente. Melt some butter in another pan and fry the pancetta until crispy. Add this to the mushrooms, then add the fusilli to the pan and mix well. Now season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and thyme leaves. Serve garnished with plenty of parmesan.