I’m really hoping that you are mushroom fans as today’s dish is all about their meaty, fragrant presence. I have loved mushrooms ever since I was a child and I am always excited by mushroom recipes. I love them so much that I found some expired oyster mushrooms in my fridge the other day. They were 3 days past their expiry date but I am not the kind of person who pays much attention to those, I tend to use my senses to determine if something is still fit for consumption.
These mushrooms were starting to get a bit slimy. I asked Google whether they are safe to eat and the general consensus was that no, not so much. I pondered this for a bit, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to bin them (they are quite expensive in the UK for some reason). I washed them well and then fried them on a super hot pan (to kill the bacteria or whatever was out to kill me) and made a deal with myself that I will only eat a few and then wait a few hours to see if I am still alive. Well, guess what, they were so good that I hoovered the whole lot within the next 20 minutes. I’m still alive, yay for me and yay for you as you get to have a new recipe 😉 . Daredevil, I know! This stew features two types of mushrooms that are very easy to get in the UK, common white cup mushrooms and their more distinguished cousins, chestnut mushrooms, but feel free to swap these for any edible mushrooms you can get your hands on (well, maybe with the exception of those trippy ones 😉 ). The fresh mushrooms get a helping hand from the backing singer – porcini stock, which makes this simple stew even more unashamedly ‘mushroomy’ (if that’s even a word). The other key flavours are red wine, thyme and rosemary. All of them sing beautifully off each other and as much as I am not a classical cuisine kind of gal, this stew is right up my street. It’s a perfect comfort food that hugs you like a warm blanket, on a cold winter day. It would not look out of place on every good pub’s menu – it’s easy to make, seasonal, inexpensive and has a potential of being a real crowd pleaser. I served it on top of a garlicky celeriac mash, which I personally love, but mashed potatoes or root vegetable mash will work just as well. Duncan is a massive fan of this dish and the additional added bonus is that it’s extremely easy to eat even if you have just had braces put on, something Duncan is going through at the moment.
700 g / 24 oz celeriac, peeled and cubed 2 tbsp shiro / white miso paste 1 head of roasted garlic* approx. 480 ml / 2 cups almond milk 2 tbsp olive oil / vegan butter (optional)
