MUSHROOM HARVEST TIME!

A few days ago I finally harvested my first batch of oyster mushrooms from the kit I received for Christmas. The instructions implied that you should just harvest the whole lot of them as soon as the largest ones were an inch to an inch and a half across, before they start to curl up. However, when I realized there were lots of tiny ones hidden behind them, that had never had a chance to grow, I took only the largest ones.

That was a mistake. The rest of them just shriveled up within a couple of days.  I cut them off and tossed them into the compost. Now I've opened up the other side of the box, removed the bag, and put it in a bucket of water to soak overnight, after which I should be able to grow a whole new crop.

Originally I was just going to saute' this batch in some butter, but then I remembered that episode of the Jamie At Home TV series, where he and his friend Genaro went out hunting for mushrooms, then cooked them up over a campfire and served them over garlic-rubbed toasts. I started with that recipe, then went a bit crazy with it.

Ultimate Mushroom Bruschetta

from Jamie At Home, by Jamie Oliver

(2 extremely generous servings)

Note from Jamie: Whether you're using farmed or wild mushrooms, or a combination of both, do your best to get hold of a nice interesting mixture. When it comes to frying them, make sure your pan is a large one so the moisture that comes out of them can evaporate easily. Otherwise they'll begin to boil in their own juices. Mushrooms cooked properly are so versatile -- you can stir them into a risotto, sprinkle them onto a pizza or serve them with a grilled steak or atop some roasted fowl.

extra virgin olive oil

11 oz. mixed mushrooms, wiped clean (I didn't have near that many, so I quartered the recipe)

2 cloves of garlic, 1 peeled and finely chopped, the other halved

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

a few sprigs of fresh parsley, leaves picked

optional: a sprig of summer savory, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 dried red chili, crumbled

a small knob of butter

1 lemon (on the show, Jamie threw in a bit of wine with the lemon.  I replaced both with balsamic vinegar)

2 slices of sourdough bread

Put a large heavy frying pan, big enough to hold all the mushrooms in one layer, on the heat and add a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Depending on the size of your mushrooms, leave any small ones whole but tear, break or slice the larger ones up. Add them all to the pan and give it a shake to toss the mushrooms in the oil. Add the chopped garlic and fresh herbs and shake the pan again. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the crumbled chili and leave to fry gently for a few minutes. If the mixture becomes dry, pour in a little more oil.

Once the mushrooms have got some color going on, after about 3 to 4 minutes, add the butter and a squeeze of lemon juice (or balsamic or wine) to give a nice twang -- don't go overboard here, you don't need much -- and toss again. To finish this off and make it into a lovely creamy sauce, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of water into the pan. Simmer for a little longer, until you have a lovely simple sauce that just loosely coats the mushrooms. Now toast your bread, if you are going to serve this as bruschetta, which I did not.

When toasted, rub the bread with the cut side of the remaining clove of garlic. Place each slice on a serving plate, pile the mushrooms and the creamy juices from the pan on top and tuck in.  

But, like I said, I didn't do this. I just happened to have a chunk of leftover grilled ribeye, medium rare, that I had stashed in the freezer last week and wanted to use up. I sliced it very thinly, then tossed it in the pan with the mushrooms during the final stage of cooking. Instead of serving it over toast, I served it alongside some oven-roasted potatoes. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!