I've been seeing people harvesting loads of mushrooms around this time of year, especially different types of boletes. So I decided to look for some myself.
I even went to a woodland further away, only to discover that a few were growing just a few steps from home!
Boletes mostly grow under pine or larch trees, where you'll often find them around this time of year. They share nutrients with the trees through a symbiotic relationship, so I tend not to harvest them all so the trees benefit from the relationship too.
What I have here is the weeping bolete. It exudes a little oily substance from underneath the cap, hence the name. It's not very noticeable, but you can actually feel the oily residue between your fingers.
It has pores rather than gills. The colour is usually yellow, sometimes with brownish tones, and there is no skirt or ring on the stem, unlike the similar slippery jack, which has a noticeable ring.
I prefer gently removing the whole mushroom rather than cutting it and leaving a stump behind, as the stump could remain in the substrate, potentially become mouldy and affect future mushrooms.
So I gathered enough to make something...
I decided to make a pie.
I first inspect my mushrooms and brush off any debris.
The cap is naturally sticky. See that pine needle stuck to it!
It is also best to peel the cap if you have a sensitive tummy, as the mushrooms can cause gastric upset in some people.
So here it is...
Creamy Mushroom Pie with an Extra thick Buttery Short-Crust Pastry.
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
500 g plain flour
250 g cold butter, cubed
¾ tsp salt
8 tbsp cold water
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Creamy chicken filling
700 g chicken thighs or breast, diced
40 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely diced
150 g Bolete mushrooms, sliced (or any mushrooms available)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
40 g plain flour
500 ml chicken stock
150 ml double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Herbs, like thyme or marjoram
Salt and black pepper
1 egg, beaten, with a dash of milk, for brushing
Method
Make the shortcrust pastry
Add the flour, salt and cold butter cubes. to your blender or food processor. Pulse briefly to mix.
Pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Don't blend continuously or let the butter get warm.
Add the cold water gradually, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition. Stop as soon as the mixture starts clumping together when pressed between your fingers. You may not need all the water.
Don't knead it. Flatten, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Cook the chicken
Heat a little of the 40 g butter in a large frying pan.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned, then remove and set aside.
Cook the vegetables
Add the remaining butter to the pan.
Add the onion and diced carrot. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
Make the creamy sauce
Stir the 40 g of flour into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Return the chicken to the pan.
Add the double cream.
Add the Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and minced garlic or garlic powder.
Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Add the herbs.
The sauce should be thick and creamy, not runny. Let the filling cool for 15 to 20 minutes before assembling the pie.
Assemble the pie
Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan / Gas 6.
Grease a medium-to-large pie dish.
Divide the chilled pastry into two portions, roughly two-thirds for the base and one-third for the lid.
Roll out the larger piece of pastry to a thickness of about 4 to 5 mm.
Line the base and sides of the dish.
Pre-bake the pastry with weight for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius; I used chickpeas.
Bake for another 5 minutes without the weight.
Spoon in the cooled chicken filling.
Brush the edges with egg.
Roll out the remaining pastry and place it over the top.
Press the edges together firmly, trim the excess and crimp the edges. Brush the top with beaten egg.
Add decor if any.
Cut a small slit in the centre to allow steam to escape.
Bake
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
Leave the pie to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Carefully remove the pie from the dish.
Thick golden crust.
The buttery, golden crust is thick, crumbly but crunchy, and then...
The creamy chicken and bolete mushrooms in a garlicky sauce are so tasty.
All in all, just delicious and comforting!
My share in #fungifriday by @ewkaw
Have a lovely day,
Mariah 🍄
