January 2007 Recipe

Wild Mushroom Pie

How is it that the edible mushrooms that grow in so many woods and mountainsides have been ignored for so long? I know a restaurateur in northern England who gathers boletus/porcini in the local public park. Over in the USA, in the Appalachians, each spring local mushroom hunters reward lucky cooks with bags of wild morels. You need to know what you are picking, of course-- wild mushrooms can be a risk as well as a gourmet prize. 

Serves 4-6

• 110g/4oz fresh morels, or 30g/1oz dried morels

• 450g/1lb button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

• 3 tablespoons butter

• salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 375ml/12fl oz/1½ cups heavy cream

• For the Shortcrust Pastry

• 200g/7oz/1½ cups flour

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• 45g/1½oz/3 tablespoons butter

• 45g/1½ oz /3 tablespoons shortening or lard

• 4 tablespoons cold water, more if needed
   

• shallow 22cm/9in pie pan with rim

1. Make the shortcrust pastry (see Glossary p.00). Wrap it tightly and chill for 30 minutes or until firm. 

2. Pick over and trim the stems of fresh morels. Soak them 10-15 minutes in a bowl of water, stirring them occasionally.  Lift them out of the water, leaving sand behind, and drain them. If using dried morels, pour over 2 cups of boiling water and leave to soak 10-15 minutes. Lift out the morels. Strain the liquid though a coffee filter to remove sand and reserve the liquid. Slice the fresh or dried morels.

3. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan, add the button and morel mushrooms, salt and pepper. If you are using dried morels, add the liquid also. Simmer the mushrooms until tender and all the liquid has evaporated, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the flour, add the cream and bring this sauce to a boil, stirring until it thickens.  Simmer it 1 minute, taste for seasoning and pour it into the pie pan.  Leave it until cool so it does not melt the covering of dough. 

4. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and cover the pie dish and filling. Trim the edge, decorate it and slash steam holes in the crust. Chill the pie until the dough is firm, at least 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 190ºC/375º F/Gas 5.

5. Bake the pie in the oven until the crust is brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Serve the pie warm, not scalding hot.

Shortcut: Use ready-prepared pastry dough for topping the pie.

Getting Ahead: The pie can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, or frozen; bake it just before serving.

On the Side: I’ve always found mushrooms and spinach to be natural partners, so you might like to try my Iranian spinach recipe flavored with mint and walnuts (see Sidebar p.00).

In the Glass: A light red wine such as a Gamay (Beaujolais).

Iranian Spinach: In Iran this spinach is served either hot or as a salad at room temperature, topped with plain yogurt.

For 4 people, wash 900g/2lb spinach, discarding tough stems, and leave to drain. Heat two or three tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan and fry a chopped onion until soft. Stir in 2-3 chopped garlic cloves and fry them 2 minutes. Pack in the spinach, cover and cook over medium heat until wilted, stirring once or twice, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup chopped mint and a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until moisture has evaporated, 3-5 minutes. If you like, stir in a few tablespoons of chopped toasted walnuts (see Glossary p.00). Taste and adjust seasoning.