After a long session teaching last week I stopped off at the superb Newington Green grocer to pick up a few things to make supper for just me – it was fairly late, and I was knackered. I spotted a tray of Girolle mushrooms (AKA Chanterelles) and after baulking at £22/kilo, picked up a small handful. Actually they are so light, they didn’t cost very much at all, and if I had my time again, I’d have been a bit more generous with myself, to get more musky woody flavour for my dish. I consulted the Larousse Gastronomique before cooking these mushrooms, as I hadn’t used them before – it advised not to cook them on a high heat, as they would go hard. I heeded this advice and cooked the whole dish very gently.
This took under ten minutes to make.
For one or two
Ingredients:
a handful of Girolles, cleaned well for grit– use a brush or gently rinse then pat dry, sliced up a bit
½ clove, garlic, finely sliced
a decent glug of double cream – about 50 ml
about a teaspoon of finely chopped thyme
knob of unsalted butter
dash of brandy
salt and pepper
tagliatelle
How I made it:
Place well-salted pasta water on to boil. In a good heavy-bottomed frying pan, gently melt a knob of butter with your sliced garlic. When aromatic, add mushrooms and thyme and toss in the butter. Cook gently for a few minutes. Add the cream, and stir. Add a dash of brandy (not too much, or it will ruin the flavour and curdle the cream). Cook for a minute or two. Season well with salt and some pepper and take off the heat. Cook pasta when the water is boiling. Drain when just Al-Dente. Toss the pasta with sauce.
Eaten with:
A cucumber salad.
Dinner Document 