4 large brown mushrooms, wiped clean 125 g butter
salt and milled black pepper
4 slices smoked salmon
125 g grated mozzarella cheese
Melt half the butter in a small frying pan and fry the mushrooms, upper side down, until golden. Turn them, add half the wine, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for
3-4 minutes until tender. Slice and arrange on warm plates.
Add the butter remaining to the pan, pour in the remaining wine and season with salt and pepper.
Set the oven at 200°C. Pour a little sauce over the mushrooms. Place a slice of smoked salmon on top, scatter with grated mozzarella cheese and bake for 5-6 minutes until the cheese melts. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4
Mussels Poached in Wine and Cream
36 black mussels, scrubbed and debearded
75 g butter
2 spring onions, sliced (green parts too)
100 ml cake flour
250 ml mussel liquor (from steaming mussels open)
'12 carrot, finely chopped
1 ml dried thyme
750 ml milk
250 ml cream
salt and milled black pepper
Place the mussels into a large saucepan with 60 ml of the wine. Cover, bring to the boil and cook until mussels open wide. Discard any which remain shut. Drain (retain the liquor) and remove a half-shell from each. Gently pull out any beards which remain.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the spring onion until soft. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour, mussel liquor and remaining wine.
Add the garlic, carrot and thyme and bring to the boil. Add the milk and cream, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
To Serve: Bring the sauce to the boil, add the mussels and keg through. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Offer with brown bread.
Serves 6
Calamari Salad
350 g small calamari tubes, well cleaned mixed lettuce leaves
'/3 English cucumber, sliced
1-2 firm tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 onion, finely sliced
small bunch spring onions, finely sliced
125 ml vegetable oil 30 ml olive oil
200 ml red wine vinegar 20 ml crushed garlic
60 ml chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, fennel)
salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice
Slice the calamari into rings, pile in a bowl and pour over plenty of briskly boiling water. After 1 minute, when edges of the calamari start curling, drain in a colander. Tip into a bowl.
Mustard Herb Dressing: Whisk together the ingredients, pour a little over the calamari, cover and chill.
Arrange lettuce leaves in a large salad bowl. Add the cucumber, tomatoes and sliced onion. Top with calamari and garnish with chopped spring onion. Sprinkle over a little of the mustard herb dressing and serve the rest separately. Serves 4