The Mushroom Farmer

One thing I like about blogging, is that there's always something in the back of you mind nudging you find something interesting to write about, inventing something to cook, finding a new food market, a new ingredient, anything that will make an interesting post. This is a very exciting blog post because I've found two whole new ingredients! One is Porcini powder. The ground down result of dried porcini mushrooms which can be used to season risottos and pastas. I think the essence of mushroom can add a real kick to so many savoury dishes.

The other ingredient turns up in the post and needed a little more effort. Espresso mushrooms! At some point last year I saw something on TV about a bunch of chaps down in Brighton who were growing mushrooms on used espresso grounds. They sell kits so you can grow your own over a few weeks. They're not cheap but I was really impressed by the flavour. Subtle, slightly of coffee, creamy, really really good.

Here's the growing process:

You need to soak the packet for 12 hours to start....

... and then, when the mushrooms started to grow, I just felt really sick because they looked like little black mouldy pimples.

... but then they start turning into actual mushrooms, which is very exciting!

 ... doubling in size every day or so.

... and after two weeks you have a beautiful crop.

So, the mushrooms were ready and I wanted to try them as soon as I could. My main idea was to make fresh ravioli but the idea of making pasta today wasn't appealing, I also wanted to make something that would allow the mushrooms to take centre stage and be uncomplicated by other ingredients so I decided to go simple and breakfasty and make mushrooms on toast.

The mushroom mixture was absolutely delicious and really showed off the complex taste of the espresso pearl oysters. I would highly recommend getting one of these kits if you fancy a treat. I was cooking slightly on the hop so it ended up being served on sliced granary with a fried egg. I did feel a bit bad about that. This was the kind of dish that really needed some toasted sour dough and a poached egg to make it super special.

Posh Mushrooms on Toast

Serves 1

1/2 a shallot
1 small clove of garlic
knob of butter
small sprinkle of dried thyme
about 4 pearl oyster mushrooms
about 3 chestnut mushrooms
sprinkle of porcini powder
sea salt and fresh black pepper
drizzle of cream
parsley

I started by melting a small amount of butter in a frying pan. I finely diced the shallot and softened in the butter with the thyme over a low heat before adding the sliced garlic for a minute. I then added the roughly chopped mushrooms and porcini powder and turning heat up high and cooking them hard for a few minutes, moving them around a lot so the onion and garlic didn't burn. Once they were cooked I added the cream, seasoning and parsley. I served with a fried egg on toast and coffee.

My current plans for the rest of the crop are a very exciting mushroom ravioli... Coming soon!