Vegetarian Recipe of the Day: Antonio Carluccio’s Wild Mushroom Crostini

Photography by Alastair Hendy

This Italian dish is extremely popular because of its versatility: it can be served as a snack or antipasto, or with drinks.  Crostini can be topped with a mixture of tomato, mozzarella and basil, or grilled vegetables.  This version using wild mushrooms is exceptionally good – even if you can’t get hold of any wild mushrooms and have to use cultivated instead.

Serves 4

400g mixed wild mushrooms (whatever you can get)

2 garlic cloves, 1 finely chopped

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

8 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley

1 tbsp marjoram leaves

salt and pepper

4 large slices of Pugliese or good country bread

 

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly and cut into cubes.

Fry the finely chopped garlic and chilli in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil, and before the garlic starts to colour, add the mushrooms.  Sauté or stir-fry them briefly for a few minutes only so that they retain their crisp texture.  Add the parsley, marjoram and some salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, toast the slices of bread on both sides, then rub them very slightly with the whole garlic clove.  Brush with the remaining olive oil and top with the mushrooms.  Serve immediately.

TIP!

When you’re buying mushrooms, whether wild or cultivated, make sure they look fresh, not withered.  Wild mushrooms should be cooked and eaten on the day they’re picked but can stand a day in the fridge if necessary.  Cultivated mushrooms will keep for three days in the fridge, as long as they’re in a paper bag.  To prepare, cut out any decayed parts and wipe them clean with a damp cloth.

This recipe and text have been taken from Antonio Carluccio: The Collection by Antonio Carluccio, published by Quadrille Publishing, £25

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher

Vegetarian Recipe of the Day: Simon Hopkinson’s Potato Pie with Beaufort Cheese

Photography by Jason Lowe

serves 4

 A most luxurious and rich dish, here, for that which is, essentially, nothing more than potatoes in pastry.

500g medium potatoes (Desiree, for preference), washed

salt and freshly ground pepper

100ml double cream

2 garlic cloves, lightly bruised

25–30g butter

375g ready-made puff pastry, in 2 equal sheets

75g Beaufort cheese, very thinly sliced

1/2 tsp thyme leaves

beaten egg, to glaze the pastry

 Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Steam (for preference) or boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, then cool and peel. Slice moderately thickly and put to one side.

Place the cream in a saucepan with the garlic, bring to the boil, then take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse.  Put a flat baking sheet into the oven. Lightly smear another one with butter. Roll out one puff pastry sheet thinly, to a 2–3cm thickness, and lay it on the buttered baking sheet. Mark a circle on it, about 20cm in diameter. Cover the pastry round with half of the potatoes, arranging them in a slightly overlapping layer within the circle. Lightly season and cover with half the cheese and thyme leaves, adding a few flecks of butter.

Repeat these layers. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.  Roll out the other sheet of pastry as above and then place over the filling.  Clamp down the edges with your fingers and then trim to a round, using a flan ring that is slightly larger than 20cm as a guide.

Now, brush the pastry all over with egg and, using the tines of a fork, decorate the edge. Make a small hole in the centre of the pie, about 5mm in diameter. Remove the garlic from the cream and, using a small funnel, slowly pour it into the pie through the hole, allowing the cream to settle inside before adding more. Once it is quite clear that no more cream will fit, stop pouring; you may have a modicum left.

Slide the pie into the oven, onto the preheated tray. Bake for around 20 minutes, then turn the oven setting down to 180C/gas mark 4.  Continue cooking for a further 20 minutes, or until crisp and nicely puffed; if the pie is browning too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.

Let the pie stand for a good 10 minutes out of the oven before serving. Cut into wedges and eat with a crisp green salad or just on its own.

 

This recipe and text have been taken from The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson, published by Quadrille Publishing, £9.99

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher

Vegetarian Recipe of the Day: The Medicinal Chef, Dale Pinnock’s Spicy Coconut Dhal

Photography by Martin Poole

This is a fantastic fusion dish. It has the texture and appearance of a traditional Indian dhal, but the inclusion of lemon grass gives it a Thai-Malay twist, and the end result is a true Asian fusion. Warning – this dish is addictive!

 

SERVES 3–4

2 fresh lemon grass stalks

olive oil, for cooking

1 large red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

100g red lentils

200ml coconut milk

400ml hot vegetable stock (made with a stock cube or bouillon powder)

small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges

sea salt and black pepper

Start by bashing the lemon grass. Use a rolling pin or something with plenty of weight behind it – this will split and bruise the stalk and allow the wonderful fresh oils to seep out of the lemon grass and into the dish.

Heat a little olive oil in a large pan, add the onion, garlic, chilli and lemon grass and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Add the lentils and coconut milk and simmer for 3–4 minutes.

Start adding the vegetable stock, little by little.  Keep adding the stock until the lentils have softened and partially broken down, which usually takes about 20–25 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the coriander and red chilli, and serve immediately with the lime wedges on the side. It’s great with quinoa with some goji berries, fresh coriander and lime juice stirred through it.

 

Can help with…

Heart & circulation High blood pressure, High cholesterol

Digestive system Constipation

This recipe and text have been taken from The Medicinal Chef: Eat Your Way to Better Health by Dale Pinnock, published by Quadrille Publishing, £18.99

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher