Warm colors and abundant fruit turn each walk into an adventure rich in color, smell and flavor.
It is also the season for wild mushrooms. Finding them on a walk is always a pleasure beyond any doubt but bringing them home and into our kitchens requires a certain amount of knowledge and expertise…just in case!
In the surrounding countryside, you can find edible mushrooms, known as “tortulhos”. At the very beginning of my countryside adventure, I was fascinated by them, as they are truly beautiful but dared do nothing but gaze at them from a safe distance I was not prepared to take the risk. The problem with wild mushrooms is the amount of different varieties and the fact that they all look the same, the big difference is that some are edible while others are highly toxic and may cause severe side effects.
I am naturally curious and wanted to find out more so I visited my dearest neighbour – Cesaltina – who has spent a long lifetime in the countryside and is a living encyclopaedia in all matters related to country life, and asked her to teach me how to identify the edible “tortulhos”. This she taught me through a Nursery Rhyme:
“It has a king’s collar, but is no king.
It has pages like a book but is no book.
It has a priest’s tonsure but is no priest.
What is it?”
This variety is not as rich in flavour as the boletus edulis, but it is always delightful to bring a couple back with you from your walk. Yes, I do mean just pick a couple for we need to move away from our ingrained and rather selfish custom of picking everything nature has to offer just for ourselves, giving no thought for others. This is why I like to pick just what I may need and, if I don’t plan on cooking them on that same day, I’ll prepare and freeze them, waiting for the right moment when I’ll try a recipe which will bring forth the try taste of nature onto my table.
Serves 4
Method
- Place the potatoes in a pan, cover with cold water, season with salt and bring to the boil. Leave to boil for about 20 minutes or until soft when tested with a fork.
- Prepare the mushrooms while the potatoes cook. Heat 1 spoonful butter in a pan; join the mushrooms when the butter starts to sizzle. Fry until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and reserve.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, strain and mash. Add the butter whilst potatoes are still warm and mix thoroughly. Add the cream to the milk and join, mixing with care. Do not over mix in order to keep consistency.
- Season with a pinch of salt and a little nutmeg. Pour onto a serving dish, place the mushrooms on top and add a drizzle of truffle olive oil.
- Sprinkle a little sea salt and serve.
Our tip:
Can be served as a dip or as a side dish for any roast meat.
