Starter – Marinated Mushrooms by Claire Macdonald
It sounds rather a lot of mushrooms in this recipe, I realize, but they do go down so much as they cook. It is worthwhile cooking the mushrooms in the olive oil till they are crisp – their flavour is very much better. This is the tip passed on to me by Brigadier Ley, one of the best cooks I know, and such a source of inspiration and culinary know-how. You may need more olive oil to sauté the mushrooms than I say – this depends on your sauté pan; a non-stick pan will need less oil than a non non-stick one! This is awfully good.
Serves 6
2 lb/900 g mushrooms wiped, stalks trimmed level with the caps and the mushrooms sliced quite thickly
5-6 tbsp olive oil – don't add it to the sauté pan all at the beginning, start with 3 tbsp and add more as you need it
For the marinade:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, skinned and chopped finely
½ pint/285 ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
¼ pint/140 ml dry white wine
½ tsp dried thyme or a good sprig of fresh, tiny leaves stripped from it
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tomatoes, skinned, cut in half and de-seeded, and the tomatoes finely diced
Torn up basil leaves
Cook the sliced mushrooms in relays, in a sauté pan with the olive oil. Cook them till they are almost crisp, and then remove them to a shallow, wide serving dish. As they are sautéing, make the marinade.
Into a wide shallow pan put the olive oil, chopped garlic, stock and white wine, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to simmering point and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave to cool completely. Then stir in the diced tomatoes and the torn-up basil. Pour this over the sautéed mushrooms and leave overnight in a cool larder or the fridge.
I like to arrange the marinated mushrooms on plates, spooned, with the marinade, over lettuce leaves. Accompany, if you like, with warm bread or with sesame toast.
Mains – Marrow Stuffed with Curried Rice and Vegetables by Claire Macdonald
Marrow can be deadly – often the only thing in its favour is that it contains virtually no calories because it is composed virtually of water. But marrow can also be very good, so make the most of them while they are in season in the autumn months. I like them best stuffed because they rely on accompanying vegetables or meat for flavour. The moistness of the marrow makes for a good juicy filling and this one, with curried rice and onions, peppers, garlic and mushrooms, is delicious. Serve with an accompanying cheese or tomato sauce if you like.
Serves 6
4 tbsp oil (I use sunflower)
2 onions, skinned and chopped
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, halved, de-seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, skinned and chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
8 oz/225 g mushrooms, wiped and chopped
2 tsp tomato pureé
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz/225g cooked brown rice
1 large marrow, peeled and halved length-ways, with the seeds scooped out of each half
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions and peppers. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they cook evenly, then stir in the garlic and the curry powder, and cook for a further few minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomato pureé. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Mix this together thoroughly with the cooked brown rice.
Oil a large piece of foil, and put one half of the marrow on it. Pack the stuffing into the scooped-out hollow, mounding it up to fill the hollow in the other half, which you put on top like a lid. Wrap the foil tightly around the marrow and put the foil parcel in a roasting tin. Bake in a fairly hot oven, 400°F/200°C/Gas mark 6, for 1¼-1½ hours. Pierce the marrow with a knife to see whether it is soft and cooked.
This dish keeps warm successfully for about an hour before serving. Cut the marrow into thick slices to serve, spooning the stuffing into the middle of each slice.
Dessert – Tablet by Claire Macdonald
125 g/4 oz salted butter (butter with strong flavour is best)
1 kg/2 ¼ lb granulated sugar
1 cup full-cream milk
400 g/14 oz tin of condensed milk
Over a low heat, melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and milk. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the condensed milk, turn the heat up a wee bitty and bring to the boil awfy slowly. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Test the mixture for hardness after 18 minutes by dropping a wee drap mixture from the spoon into a bowl of cold water. If it turns into a soft ball that you can pick up between your fingers then it is time to remove the mixture from the heat. Take off the heat and beat for 3 to 5 mins. Pour into a baking tray and score into fingers.