Lets assume you do not mind peeling onions and garlic cloves. Good. So keep on reading then. If you also do not mind Ouzo in your food then go for it.
It is an old Ottolenghi recipe that I decided to turn Greek, mostly because a few ingredients were missing from my supply cupboard.
It is unusual but very tasty.
olive oil
80g butter
25 shallots, peeled
25 garlic cloves, peeled
dried thyme
2 cinnamon sticks
200g portobello or oyster mushrooms, chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
100g buna-shimeji or wild mushrooms
pinch of chilli flakes
200ml vegetable stock
1¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
100ml Ouzo
dried parsley & dried oregano
250g ricotta or (hard to find in the UK) Manouri cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
Heat the olive oil and two-thirds of the butter in a large pan and gently sauté the shallots, garlic cloves, thyme and cinnamon for about five minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the portobello and chestnut mushrooms, stir well so the mushrooms pick up the oil, and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium-high heat. Add the buna-shimeji and chilli flakes, and cook for a further minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer over a high heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost disappeared, and the shallots and garlic are cooked through. Season, then pour in the Ouzo. Cook for a minute or two to allow the alcohol to evaporate, then stir through the remaining butter and all the chopped herbs.
Mix the ricotta (or manouri) with the lemon zest in a small bowl. Divide the warm mushrooms between four plates and top each serving with a quarter of the ricotta mixture. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with watercress or other leafy salad and rice.
