Thursday, September 17, 2009
CHANTERELLES ARE BACK! A FRENCH RECIPE TO SHOW THEM OFF
We went chanterelle hunting in the woods on a good friend's property yesterday. It was lovely walking in the woods! We saw very tall ant hills made of pine needles here and there, and something new for me-- "ant highways", as my friend called them. They were skinny little tracks about a 1/2-inch deep into the dirt, like a a very skinny bicycle tire had made the track, and if you bent down to look, you could see armies of ants busily traversing the forest floor via these "highways". Amazing!
The weather has been very dry for BC this summer, but we have had a couple of good rains lately, so we were hopeful that we might find some beauties in our friends' wood-- they have the "motherlode" of chanterelle hunting on their property. Our friend doesn't like them very much, and her husband (who does) is away, so whatever we found was all for us! We didn't find alot (it's early days yet), but they were some of the nicest-looking, clean, firm chanterelles I have ever picked!
When I got home, I cleaned them up and made this delicious dish, both elegant and low in calories, for our supper:
BRYANNA'S SAUTÉED VEGAN "CHICKEN" STRIPS WITH CHANTERELLES AND RED WINE
Serves 3
Serves 3
2 cups reconstituted Soy Curls® (see here for info on Soy Curls® and how to reconstitute)
OR 12 ounces [340 g] low-fat vegetarian chicken substitute strips (Gardein; Yves; Morningstar Farms; Lightlife; or President's Choice)
1 tsp dried tarragon
freshly-ground black-pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
1 1/2 tablespoons vegan buttery spread (try my homemade palm-oil-free vegan "Buttah"), divided
12 oz. chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed and sliced 1/4” thick
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup dry red wine, can be non-alcoholic (I used an Australian Shiraz)
1 1/2 cups vegetarian chicken-style broth (see here for info on broths)
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
1 tablespoon silken tofu (OR use 3 tablespoons unflavored, not-too-sweet nondairy creamer, such as So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Creamer)
OR use 3 T. vegan mayonnaise (can be homemade GARNISH:
Chopped fresh chives or parsley
OR 12 ounces [340 g] low-fat vegetarian chicken substitute strips (Gardein; Yves; Morningstar Farms; Lightlife; or President's Choice)
1 tsp dried tarragon
freshly-ground black-pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
1 1/2 tablespoons vegan buttery spread (try my homemade palm-oil-free vegan "Buttah"), divided
12 oz. chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed and sliced 1/4” thick
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup dry red wine, can be non-alcoholic (I used an Australian Shiraz)
1 1/2 cups vegetarian chicken-style broth (see here for info on broths)
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
1 tablespoon silken tofu (OR use 3 tablespoons unflavored, not-too-sweet nondairy creamer, such as So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Creamer)
OR use 3 T. vegan mayonnaise (can be homemade GARNISH:
Chopped fresh chives or parsley
In a medium bowl, toss the Soy Curls® or alternative with the tarragon, freshly-ground black-pepper to taste, and the flour.
Add the remaining vegan buttery spread and heat until melted. Add the chanterelles and salt lightly. Stir-fry them until they brown lightly. They should exude their juices and then evaporate most of them. Place the chanterelles in a bowl and set aside.
Add the onions and garlic back to the pan and sauté without fat (what I call “steam-frying”) over high heat, squirting a bit of water into the pan to keep the vegetables from sticking and burning. Keep them moving!
When they soften a bit, pour in the wine and cook over high heat until it is reduced to a few tablespoons. Add the broth and cook over high heat until this is reduced to about half..
When they soften a bit, pour in the wine and cook over high heat until it is reduced to a few tablespoons. Add the broth and cook over high heat until this is reduced to about half..
Add the “chicken” strips and the chanterelles back to the pan and simmer briefly over low heat. With a hand/immersion blender, whip the nondairy milk with the vegan mayonnaise or tofu until smooth like cream. Add this (or the creamer, instead) to the sauce, stirring well. Taste once again for seasoning and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi there,
Please take a sec and sign my petition asking the Canadian government to include animal rights in the constitution, and ask others to sign too:)
Cheers!
So nice to hear that people go mushroom gathering in other parts of the world as well. Here in France we are helped along by the fact you can take them to a pharmacist to identify them if you are in doubt. Yours look yummy and your walk in the woods lovely.
yummy! i totally wish i could pick my own mushrooms...i have yet to try soy curls and i really want to! this recipe looks so delish.
Post a Comment