One of our local grocers had a pile of mushrooms of all sorts (it is the season) so we took the inspiration and had a delicious version of mushrooms on toast flavoured with sherry. Good quality sourdough, toasted, rubbed with a clove of garlic & drizzled with good olive oil to serve.
Wine suggestion: As we started with this for a much larger dinner with friends we opened a bottle of dry Oloroso sherry to accompany. We were lucky to have a bottle of the Hidalgo Oloroso VORS (average age 30yo) which was a complex, rich, nutty style of sherry with a wonderfully complex citrus peel, nutty and spicy nose. The palate is funky with profound, fresh, nutty, lemony complexity. The surprising citrus notes in the sherry lifted the mushrooms even further. Sherry of this quality is simply the best value fine wine in the world as we we kept on running out of descriptions of the taste, smell and finish of this.
Setas al jerez – Mushrooms with Sherry – serves 4
- 400g wild mushrooms
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 150ml fino or dry, old amontillado sherry
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth but don’t be tempted to soak or wash them in water.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Next add the sherry and nutmeg and cook for another minute, followed by the parsley, salt and black pepper.
Serve with toast that you have rubbed lightly with garlic and drizzled with your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from The Moro Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2001.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 