Saute girolles and salt-baked beetroots
‘Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns’.
George Eliot
Autumn brings with it the assault from the heavens. Lifeless golden and amber leaves, with hails of acorns and tree nuts, surround us. All of which draws us closer to a natural hankering for the fireplace, the crackle of the wood fire by a candlelit table, a glass of red wine and a beautifully prepared, braised dish, a perfect way to celebrate these months.
Braising and stewing is a very ancient method of cooking; in Ireland the Celts introduced bronze cauldrons which became a great cooking technique for many centuries and one that brought immense warmth into homes during the colder months.
As a medium for cooking tougher cuts of meats, braising is gastronomic alchemy. It creates layers of flavour that are utterly delicious. The perfect braise is one that is moist, tender and full of flavour, the ultimate comfort food and with a richness and aroma that lifts spirits.
One of the best things is that braised dishes taste better and have a more silky texture after being chilled and reheated, making this dish and these accompaniments perfect for entertaining and planning days in advance.
However, it is not just for meats – it is wonderful for vegetables too.
This recipe is good for vegetarians, with only a minor change when cooking the girolles.
During my last trip to Japan recently, I was astounded by vegetarian kaiseki cooking. We had a wonderful lunch of more than 20 dishes embracing the concepts of this cooking, with its Zen, monastic origins, deeply rooted in life principles of sharing, economy and responsible use of resources, now known as sustainability.
Oden was one of the dishes that we tried: a great Japanese winter food and best prepared in a pot and cooked slowly for hours. This is a great warmer for the colder days of Autumn and Winter that are just around the corner and a convivial dish, like many traditional, Autumn and Winter, pot-cooked dishes from old country recipes in these islands. This is hardly surprising as they are all based on what is available in the season.
Take advantage now of the shitake mushrooms that we are welcoming into our kitchen.
Start by preparing the Kombu shitake broth.
INGREDIENTS
Kombu shitake broth
1 medium sized sheet of of Kombu
600ml Water
6 Roasted shitake mushrooms
7 tbsps Kikkoman soy sauce
4 tbsps sake
2 teaspoons sugar
Cook the shitake mushrooms in a pan on top of the stove with some vegetable oil until they are caramelised. We do this to give the broth an intensity of flavour. Add the water, kombu, soya sauce, sake and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Then leave this to infuse for 5 minutes.
While the broth is infusing prepare the vegetables for the stew.
INGREDIENTS
Vegetables for stew
200g Daikon radish diced
6 Red radishes
4 medium sized Carrots diced
200g Celeriac diced
150g Spinach
And for the garnish:
2 Boiled eggs
2 Shiso leaves
Next pass the Kombu broth through a strainer, then add the daikon, carrots and celeriac. Cook for 45 minutes on a low simmer.
Although this dish will now be ready to serve, like many traditional braised dishes it will continue to improve if left to simmer slowly for several hours, or if left to cool and then reheated slowly and thoroughly, with all the rich juices reducing, thickening and becoming even more intense all the while.
When you are ready to serve boil and peel the eggs. Cut them in half and rub some mustard on them. If you have access to Japanese ingredients use karashi mustard; if not English mustard will work well.
Add the spinach to the broth and top with the eggs. Finish with the shiso leaves to garnish.
This would work wonderfully with the rich texture and earthy, caramelised woodland flavours of sauté girolles and the earthy flavours and colours of salt-baked beetroots. This is a combination of near equals, rather than the duo of ‘star’ and accompanist.
Sauté girolles and salt-baked beetroots
Salt-Baked Beetroots
As a chef it’s fascinating to see different cultures protect and lay claim to cooking techniques as their own. Salt baking has roots in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian cooking. The Moroccans have their version. In East Asia additions such as ginger, star anise and wolfberries appear in Chinese kitchens. On my trip to Japan we were assured that salt baking was a technique developed by the Japanese.
Salt baking creates a protective layer around the beetroots, sealing in steam, flavour, aromas and nutrients.
INGREDIENTS
500g mixed beets (striped variety like candy, golden and red)
350g coarse sea salt
150g caster sugar
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 egg whites
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Mix the salt, sugar, thyme and egg white together. On a baking tray create a pile of the salt mix for each beet and press it round the beet so it is completely covered. Bake for an hour. Remove the beetroot from the oven and leave to cool. Crack the salt open and peel the beetroots.
Sauté girolles
Girolles, also known as Chanterelles, really are a striking wild mushroom and one of my favourites. With a rich golden colour, fluted shape and strong aroma making them a very fine mushroom, one that goes perfectly with this dish, delivering caramelised woodland flavours that feel so right for the season.
INGREDIENTS
1 clove of garlic crushed
100g Girolles
50g finely chopped shallot
1 clove crushed garlic
1 sprig of thyme
200ml Featherblade cooking stock or chicken stock, or a good rich vegetarian stock
Pinch of chives
Fry the girolles in a hot pan with some vegetable oil, make sure that they are golden brown, add chopped shallots, garlic and thyme, mix around in the pan. Deglaze the pan with some of the cooking stock and finish with this and the chives.
For a truly hospitable and convivial experience, in accordance with the ancient Japanese custom, serve the broth direct from the large simmering pot and the girolles and beet from a board or great platter at table.
