Simon Rimmer's tarragon and pancetta mushrooms recipe
A tasty and quick lunchtime treat from Simon Rimmer, using mushrooms, pancetta, brioche taragon and watercress.
Simon Top Tips:
Mushrooms are tasty, great value and an easy to cook ingredient that adds extra flavour to a wide variety of meals – but it’s such a shame that so many of us don’t know the best way to cook them! Mushrooms should be fried in a very hot pan to seal in moisture and create a lovely crispy texture. Make sure your pan is almost smoking hot before adding the mushrooms to it.
To ensure you’re getting a really good temperature for frying mushrooms, it’s essential to have the right kind of pan. A good quality, heavy-based pan is best for conducting heat and keeping your pan hotter for longer.
Ingredients
- 140 g White button mushrooms
- 60 g Chestnut mushrooms
- 2 tbsp Chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 Clove of garlic crushed
- 2 Slices of toasted brioche
- 1 Small bunch of watercress
- 2 tbsp Crème Fraiche
- 1 Knob of butter
- 1 Splash of sunflower oil
- 1 pinch Salt and pepper to taste
- 70 g Cubed pancetta (optional)
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Starter
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 5 mins
- Serves: 2
Step-by-step
- Make sure the mushrooms are clean by gently brushing any dirt off with a clean, damp cloth or soft brush. Chop the mushrooms into quarters.
- Using a non-stick frying pan, heat the butter and sunflower oil over a high heat. Make sure the pan is almost smoking hot before adding in the mushrooms.
- Cook for around 3 minutes before adding in the crushed garlic and - slightly reducing the temperature - continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the Crème Fraiche, tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, toast the brioche on both sides under a hot grill. If serving with pancetta heat a second non-stick pan and crisp the pancetta using a splash of sunflower oil.
- To finish, top each slice of brioche with some of the watercress and half of the mushrooms. If using pancetta, sprinkle each with the pancetta.
Also worth your attention:
More recipes from Simon Rimmer
Book: The Accidental Vegetarian: Delicious Food without Meat
Mushrooms: The best substitution for meat
Brian Turner’s crispy bacon with mushroom pancakes