Wild Winter Mushrooms & Smoked Fish Broth

A bout of winter-time illness left me feeling somewhat de-energised & lethargic but, I managed to find the strength to make this soul nourishing, bone-warming broth to alleviate my symptoms. I used some of my recent wild mushroom finds and other delectable treats from my wild larder & some from the fridge too. Erring more on the side of a 'dashi broth' base, this dish packed some rich, deep 'umami' (the 5th taste), and included certain other ingredients which are great for fighting colds, restoring energy & boosting immunity.

Recipe:

Smoked Fish
Velvet Shank
Jelly Ears
Turkey Tail
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Sugar Kelp
Seaweed Powder
Mushroom Powder
Red Pepper
3 Cornered Garlic
Truffle Salt
1 Miso Sachet
Olive Oil
25g Unsalted Butter

Finely chop the onion & fry gently in a saucepan for 5-6 minutes. Add the finely chopped garlic, ginger, strips of dried sugar kelp & fresh or dried Velvet Shank fungi & cook gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the miso paste, approx 500ml boiling water and stir to mix. Add sliced Jelly Ear fungi, sliced red pepper, seaweed powder, mushroom powder & leave to simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the smoked fish & butter & simmer another 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add truffle salt (or salt) to taste but be careful as the seaweed powder will be fairly salty and also the miso paste and some black pepper. Serve and add fresh raw velvets, raw red pepper slices and some fresh 3 cornered garlic to garnish. Enjoy.

Comments

Unripe Figs in Syrup

Preserved Unripe Figs. Batch #1 I recently acquired a copy of 'The New Wildcrafted Cuisine' by, Pascal Baudar (many thanks to Dominick Tekos for sending it me). Despite the fact that he resides in California, much of the books content is applicable with regards to techniques, philosophies, creativity and inspiration, and some of the wild plants, regardless of where in the world you reside. Understanding our native floras & faunas is the same the world over I guess. Climates, habitats, techniques, cultures etc do differ but I firmly believe we all have innate and transferable knowledge and practices, whether they be ancient or contemporary (some yet to be rekindled/discovered/attained even), and we can adapt them to our own wild plants, landscapes, seasons, resources and requirements. Now, moving swiftly on to the main them...

Japanese Knotweed: The Terribly Terrific Tasty Terrestrial Triffid

It really is one of those 'love, hate' relationships, depending on which side of the proverbial fence you find yourself. Personally, I love Japanese Knotweed. I love it's potential as a diverse food & drink resource, I'll delve deeper into that arena later. I also find it to be a striking and handsome plant. I've read some very interesting academic, scientific and medicinal literature, both mainstream and non, which raised many a question regarding Japanese Knotweed; how it's perceived professionally, and thus culturally, and how this determines and affects it's subsequent treatment by humans. I heartily recommend the book 'The New Wild' by Fred Pearce - a book all nature lovers, conservationists and environmentalists should consider reading. Like so many, I too was led to believe that Japanese Knotweed aka Fallopia japonica was a botanical nightmare, especially with regards to its reportedly negative impacts on our beautiful countrys...

Sea Kale

If you are lucky and live close to the sea, especially in striking distance of a shingle beach, then you may just find Sea Kale... As far as coastal edibles go, Sea Kale rocks: it's a true delight! Throughout the winter you will detect very little in the way of signs indicating if Sea Kale is present as it spends the winter tucked up, snugly, beneath the shingle awaiting the Spring. The first signs of life generally begin in early spring (in mild winters it may appear earlier), when the tiniest of shoots, wake from their wintry slumber and start to force their way up through the shingle and, as the season progresses, more and more shoots appear. The leaves, whether new or mature, come in an assortment of varied and magnificent colours (see image top right): greens, purples, reds, greys and lilacs. They are crinkly edged and become more open and rounded edged with age. Eventually, the flowering shoots appear on thick, tender, circular stalks and look remarkably similar to pu...

Edible Leeds - Wild Food Foraging Courses and 4 Wild Seasons Pop Up Dining Events

Search This Blog