Recipe:
1 handful mixed dried mushrooms *
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter **
3 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
3cm piece ginger, grated
small handful fresh thyme, leaves stripped off the stalks
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground pepper
200 grams large portobello mushrooms, sliced (feel free to use fresh enoki or oyster mushrooms as well if you can find them)
zest 1 lemon
4 cups vegetable stock (I use Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cubes, which are vegan)
Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside for an hour.
Heat the butter in a large saucepan until sizzling, then throw in the garlic, ginger, thyme, turmeric and pepper.
Cook for a few minutes, until fragrant, then throw in the fresh mushrooms to cook for about 10 minutes. Add the soaked mushrooms with their water and the lemon zest and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for half an hour for the best flavour.
When you take this to your friend, add a lemon and tell them to squeeze a dash of juice on before eating for extra flavour and vitamin C.
Serve with hot toast with lashings of butter or a toasted cheese sandwich.
This is best the next day as the dried mushrooms blossom and become tender. SERVES 4
*I used 100g Jade assorted mushrooms from New World for $5.49. You could substitute dried shiitake mushrooms.
**Use olive oil for vegans.
