Pine mushrooms in barigoule sauce

June 6, 2018

Pine mushrooms have a firm texture and earthy flavour, and hold up well during braising.William Meppem

Pine mushrooms can often be found at markets and at some fruit and vegetable shops. Because of their firm texture they hold up well cooked this way. Other vegetables such as young fennel cut into thick wedges are also delicious cooked in this method. This preparation can be used in many ways. The mushrooms can be served as part of an antipasti, as an accompaniment to meat or tossed through cooked pasta, the cooking liquid making a wonderful sauce.

Ingredients

4 large pine mushrooms*

Barigoule sauce

1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
½ tbsp tomato paste
½ cup white wine
6 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp white peppercorns
*If pine mushrooms are unavailable, fresh shiitake mushrooms are a good substitute.

Method

1. Cut the onion, carrot and celery into 5 millimetre dice.
2. In a saucepan, warm the olive oil over a high heat and saute the diced vegetables, stirring from time to time. As the vegetables start to colour, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.
3. Now add the tomato paste and continue to cook until the contents of the pan are a deep caramel colour. Add the white wine and simmer vigorously until the wine has completely reduced. Add 800 millilitres of water, along with the thyme, lemon juice, coriander and fennel seeds and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms with a damp towel to remove any dirt or pine needles, remove stalk and add any mushroom trim or stalks to the simmering stock. Cut the mushroom caps into 1-centimetre slices.
5. When the barigoule stock has finished cooking, strain the liquid and discard the solids, returning the liquid to the same saucepan. Bring the stock back to a simmer and add the sliced mushrooms. The stock should barely cover the mushrooms. If it doesn't, top up with a little water. Simmer the mushrooms without the lid for 10 minutes. As the mushrooms cook, the stock will thicken and reduce to a sauce consistency. To finish, season to taste with salt.
If you like this recipe, try Andrew's garlicky baked field mushrooms.