I love to cook with mushrooms, from the usual white/brown sortiment available on the market to the chaterelles/Pfifferlinge. As a child, I used to go often foraging and even became for a while accustomed with the edible wild types available in the old country. Nowadays, I can find a wild variety of mushrooms availble in the German supermarkets and my curiosity to try something new every autumn wins over my reluctance that I might reignite old allergies. Until it happens - hopefully never again -, I would keep experimenting and every time I am more than happier with the results.
For the opening of this autumn season, I played a bit with the oyster/Austern mushrooms mix, foraged from Poland and sold in a 200 gr. plastic box at the Edeka superstore.
The mild pastel colours of yellow and pink are delicious and they look like wild and bizarre creatures of the nature. Preferably, you have to prepare them at least 24 hours upon purchase, even if you keep them in the fridge, as they are delicate enough to alter easily.
The filling recipe I used it both for a veggie wrap - using some perfectly thin and mouthwatering pancakes aimed for my Peking duck (recipe to be revealed in a next delicious post), but also for a pasta.
Oyster mushroom filling
- 200 gr. oyster mushrooms, finelly cut
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 big onion, finelly cut
- 1 big carrot, finelly cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of za'atar from Spice Kitchen UK which made me the honor of being their brand ambassador. (Za'atar is my favorite spice in the whole world and one of those ingredients I cannot live without in my kitchen and a full review of their variant - which is not so bold in terms of flavor as the one I am used with from the Shuk in Jerusalem, but still is doing a great job in foods - coming up soon on the blog.)
Directions
Preheat the oil in the pan at 250C. Add the onions and fry them until turned gold. Add the za'atar, the carrot and the mushrooms and mix them well.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Additional ingredients for the wraps
In order to prepare the wraps, some additional ingredients are needed. I tried to combine those that can balance the usual bitter sweet/bitter almond taste of this type of wild mushrooms. The measurements are provided for one wrap.
Although you can use any kind of wrap, those pancakes for crispy duck by Ming Foods - for the kosher conscious, the good news is they have the stamp of the London Beit Din. They are very delicate, with a predominant gluten taste, but which melts perfectly with the ingrediens of the wrap (both duck and oyster mushroom filling).
As I tried to focus on the vegetarian options, my choice was for a rich addition of fresh vegetables. Therefore, I added to the list of the ingredients:
- 1 avocado
- 2 small pigeon-hearted tomatoes, halved
On taste, you can also add a teaspoon of olive oil, black olives/halved, fresh cucumber slices, or half a boiled egg, a touch of fresh parsley or dill, some belly pepper or scallions or corns. I would dare a bit and try with some pistacchio too, as a gourmet balance to the oyster mushrooms or pumpkin seeds as well.
Use the ingredients from your kitchen closet as your oyster and you will not get disappointed!
I added one tablespoon of oyster mushroom filling in the middle, surrounded by avocado and tomatoes.
Serving: the filling is enough to fill at least 10 fat wraps
Rolled it gently and...here we are! The Veggie wraps are ready! Fresh, tasty, ready to be eaten.
A perfect addition to your breakfast plate or for a weekend family afternoon. If you have children, you can involve them in the choice of the fresh ingredients and the wrap setting as well. It may be a replacement for a DIY afternoon, if you insist!
Additional ingredients for the pasta
Stuffed with wraps, I went out to walk for a while to work out the filling, during which a new foodie idea pop-up into my hungry mind. What about using some little bit of filling for some pasta and another secret ingredient that I love?
All being said, I boiled some 100 gr. of shell pasta in salty water. As additional ingredient, I only added a single thing. Which is not cheese but....1 tablespoon of truffle oil. A special bottle I got from a friend, made in the North of Germany and strong as a glass of pure whisky. Perfect if you look for some culinary hardcore and to be consumed moderately - maximum once the month.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: For one portion you need: 1 cup fresh pasta, 1 tablespoon of oyster mushroom filling and one teaspoon of truffle oil. Mix them well and...
Bon Appétit!
