For some reason, probably the onset of the Christmas rush, I’ve been feeling incredibly stressed over the past week. As a result, my appetite was suffering until my sister came up to visit from London. We had such a good laugh, and I cooked a really good mushroom risotto with some crispy smoked bacon thrown in for good measure.
Anyway, I still had quite a lot of mushrooms left so I finished them off in a mushroom ragoût tonight, along with the last of the smoked bacon and the one remaining glass of white wine, (Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc 2011), that I hadn’t drunk. My appetite is most definitely back. It may have a lot to do with watching ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’. I’m not convinced of their professionalism though, having watched some of them butcher more of their hands than the joints of meat they were given.
I used a combination of mushrooms: chestnut, shiitake and buna shimeji, and double cream – sod the calories and cholesterol – if I’m going to celebrate Christmas then I’m starting now. I’ve even tried out my new camera, a bargain on Amazon’s Black Friday deals. I’m just an amateur but hope to improve…
Anyway, I’m not posting the exact recipe – I literally just chucked it together. I do recommend, for 2 people, 3 handfuls of different mushrooms, dry white wine, double cream, which is far better than single, and a good, rich chicken stock. Oh, and fresh thyme. Add it in the order of this rhyme – ‘mushrooms, seasoning, wine, stock and cream and thyme’. Soften the mushrooms, add 1/2 glass wine, cook down, add stock, cook down, add cream, cook until thickened, throw in a tsp of chopped thyme, stir into the pasta – tada!
Have a great weekend!
Nina
Food, Drink and Books 