Last weekend I was invited to an extremely secret location to take part in an extremely mysterious event organised by a member of an extremely secret society known only as the Marmarati. Extremely... Heading up the Irish branch of said secret society was none other than fellow food blogger AoifeMc of I Can Has Cook who had recently been selected by Marmarati elders to be flown to London for an official induction to the Marmarati. At risk of losing my own fledgling membership to the society I am now going to reveal the aims of the Marmarati, which are to uphold the high standards of Marmite, to spread the word about the dark ebony elixir and to accept no imitations.
Ok, that's enough secret society talk, basically the Marmarati, is an extremely clever and fun marketing idea behind the folks at Marmite (a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty and savoury, in case you didn't know!) to spread the word about the new flavour they are launching, Marmite XO. They have a website which has lots of hilarious tasting videos and a pile of other things that will make you smile. I went along to the tasting as a Marmite virgin with open eyes and discovered Marmite to be not half bad! Aoife cooked up some Marmite inspired recipes including Marmite Roast Spuds, Marmite Meatballs, and of course the oh so eloquent classic that is Marmite on toast. I have to say after tasting the two, the new version, Marmite XO beats the old one hands down. Anyway a huge thank you to Aoife for a great night, with great food, though I have to say I do feel like I have been gently sucked into some creative PR genius's game plan! Ah well, I had fun doing it!
Oh and I also met two relatively new Irish food bloggers, Adventures in Veg and Lola-Lu's Kitchen, make sure to pop over to their blogs and leave a comment or 10! :)
Well Hello! I woke up this morning in high spirit's and ready to take on the day, but it dawned on me that this most probably wouldn't last unless I kept myself well fed. So with that in mind, I decided to make a very tasty soup, and it is that very tasty soup that I am sharing with you today!
I think for some people, mushrooms are like marmite, you either love them or hate them. The lovely Sofie claims she doesn't like them because of the texture, a dislike she seems to share with many. For those people, please don't turn your nose up because this soup is has dark, deep and salty quality to eat and you won't be left disappointed!
MUSHROOM SOUP
2 Red Onions chopped into chunks
600ml of Veg Stock
4oz of Button Mushrooms
1 tbsp of Dried Oregano
1 tbsp of oyster sauce (or soya sauce)
1 tbsp of flour
2 tbsp of milk
I made this, this morning and it took me 5 Min's of work, the whole cooking time is about 45mins but mostly your just checking on it and your definitely left with time to brush your teeth!
Add the red onion and about 1 tbsp of vegetable stock to a large pot and sweat for ten mins on a medium heat till the onion is soft.
Add the mushrooms, oregano, and 2tbsp of veg stock to the pot and sweat for another 10 mins.
Add the remaining stock and simmer for about 15 mins.
Reduce the heat and then add the flour to thicken, and the milk to make smooth and creamy.
Mushroom hunting in Ireland is something that I feel takes place with something of an uneasy pleasure. While the idea of foraging for free food always gets me excited, mushroom hunting is somewhat more hazardous than picking a few juicy blackberries off a thorny bush. Last year I went on my very first mushroom hunt with a funghi expert who described the process as more dangerous than some of the most breathtaking extreme sports including skydiving and bungee jumping due to the large amount of extremely poisonous varieties! Mincing through the woods with a wicker basket suddenly just got a bit more manly!
The experienced mushroom hunter out there knows the chanterelle mushroom is the most prized variety. An expensive purchase at about €20 to €40 per kilo makes discovering these little beauties all the more satisfying to pick for free! With it's distinctive golden orange colour, funnel shape and thick gills, the chanterelle mushroom is by far one of the prettiest looking mushrooms and makes a delicious and meaty feast for cooking at home.
This week I headed out twice to Sweden's vast forests where foraging for chanterelles is a popular but highly secretive past time. The Swedes speak about mushroom picking hot spots in hushed tones and excited whispers, looking over their shoulders for fear someone might be lurking just out of sight to try and overhear the location of the latest hotspot! My first visit took place after we got a tip from a neighbour who had a friend who had got lucky on a path close to a lake near a forest just south of Gothenburg. The location was scrawled onto a scrap of paper, shoved tightly into a pocket and we were off. After about two hours of fruitless searching we finally came across a bumper patch close to the path, hiding at the base of a tree. The thing about chanterelle's is that once you find one, whether your eyes suddenly become aware of what you are looking for or they just grow close to each other, it seems inevitable that you will find more close by. My second visit came last night, when we were accompanied to a spot just off the corner of a golf course, to a secret location which was hidden by a group of large trees. After battling our way through wild brambles our eyes opened wide to discover a clearing literally teaming with little golden dots every where we looked. It seemed nobody had been there before, so whispering quite excitedly, so as not to reveal our very own secret location, we gathered up armfuls of mushrooms and snuck back home to the kitchen!
Simply Cooked Chanterelles with Garlic Toast Mushrooms can have the marmite effect on some people, you either love them or hate them. In my case I love them and while you can pick them up quite easily in most supermarkets, nothing is more satisfying than picking them yourself. If you are lucky enough to come across a bumper load of them in the forest, in my opinion you have to enjoy them straight away cooked as simply as this.
Serves 2 generous portions A good handful of chanterelle mushrooms per person A good knob of butter A little sea salt and ground black pepper to season 1 clove of garlic A good glug of extra virgin olive oil 4 slices of nice chewy sourdough bread, toasted
In a large pan melt the butter over a medium high heat. Add in the mushrooms and fry until lightly browned and tender. This about 5 minutes depending on the amount you have in the pan. Some mushrooms will throw off a lot of water, but don't panic just continue to cook until all the water is gone. Season with a little sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. Try not to over season as you really want to allow the natural flavours to shine through. While the mushrooms are cooking toast the bread, when it turns golden drizzle with a little olive oil and rub vigorously with the clove of garlic, finally season with a little sea salt. Top the toast with the hot and tender mushrooms and serve straight away!
