My awakening to fungi came as a result of my Dad’s moderate foraging nature. I wouldn’t describe him as a professional forager but he knows where to find incredible field mushrooms which he turns into mouth-watering breakfasts and knock out soups along with secret wild garlic ‘carpets’ carefully guarded and culled on the QT to be used with spring lamb.

He wandered in through the back door one Saturday afternoon cradling a giant ‘puff ball’ – at this point I thought he had managed to down an alien space craft and was fixing to ‘stew’ its hapless pilot…but nope, this was the edible giant of the mushroom world.

The puff-ball was roughly brushed clean of field detritus and carved like a Christmas ham – large, inch thick slabs of bright white fungi with an almost black under belly.

Odd, thunk I…. very odd……until my Dad deftly fried them in real butter, a little garlic and an expert snap of salt and cracked black pepper – this, I thought could turn me vegetarian……….it was the Fungi Awakening I was destined for.

So this dish is all about the mushrooms, French Girolles to be exact accompanied expertly by fat loin pork chops on the bone and cooked in English Ale.

 

WHAT YOU NEED – for 2

1 large handful of French Girolles (brushed clean)

1/2 medium courgette – finely sliced

2 cloves garlic – minced

2 fat bone in loin pork chops

1/2 bottle English ale – I use Abbot

100 mls chicken stock

1 tbs Dijon mustard

Salt and cracked black pepper

HOW YOU DO IT

Step1: Sling a wide frying pan onto the heat, lug in some olive oil and bring it to smoking. Season the chops well with cracked black pepper and salt then lay into the pan.

Step2: Fry the chops on both sides until just picking up some colour then sling in the beer, stock and mustard and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 180c. They’re gonna need 20 minutes to get carmelised and sticky.

Step3: 10 minutes into the pork’s cooking time get another wide pan on the heat, lug in a little oil and the garlic and gently fry until just colouring then add in the Girolles and the courgette – cook on a low/medium heat for 5 minutes.

Step4:  At this stage check the pork, it should be dark and sticky and the beer and stock should be all but gone – just sticky carmelised juices.

Done deal – serve the mushrooms and courgette with the pork loin chops and some new spuds – just to blow some trumpets the ones in the pic above are from my own garden – incredible Maris Pipers literally dug from the ground by my Mrs’ bare hands 🙂

 

FEEL LIKE A BEER? TRY THIS:

HOP HOUSE 13