Ski Series Recipe: Chorizo Crisps w/ Balsamic & Pomegranate Dressing served w/ Oyster Mushroom Noisette

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I threw this one together one evening when I realised I'd missed the starter section on my shopping list that afternoon, luckily we were in week 3 and by now I had built up a bit of a larder, had a few stock items, and some backup courses!

Second Attempt - A touch less on the chorizo and next time perfect!

ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)
for the chorizo crisps
200g chorizo (sliced)
50ml white wine
dash of grenadine
1/2 pomegranate (deseeded)
balsamic vinegar (garnish)
cress shoots (garnish)

for the oyster mushrooms
400g oyster mushrooms
150ml Noilly Prat (dry white vermouth or, failing that, white wine)
50g unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
parsley to garnish

apparatus
2 heavy baking trays
2 baking sheets

oyster mushrooms
In a large frying pan make the oyster mushrooms noisette as in this post.

chorizo crisps
Make the chorizo crisps the same way as crispy chicken skins [post, and link to come!] just don't boil them, and check them after 15mins!
Mix the pomegranate seeds and the grenadine with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and season with Maldon salt, and a touch of ground black pepper.
Chop a little - 4 or 5 slices - of chorizo into small pieces, and fry in a small frying pan, letting the flavour and the fat seep out. Deglaze with 50ml of white wine and pass through a sieve. Put to one side - it should be a relatively thick and tasty jus : )

Original - Chorizo is perfect, just a little small for crisps!! Use a bigger sausage!

to serve
Lay the chorizo out in a strip, curved if you like. Spoon the pomegranate mix over the chorizo, place the mushrooms next to it and garnish with cress shoots. Serve immediately!

Recipe: Oyster Mushrooms Noisette

by ferdie

This is an unassuming but tasty little number, I often do it if I'm doing tapas since you can cook them in the afternoon and reheat them when you need them. Sitting in the clay dish with a little parsley on top they look very prosaic. Which is kinda what you want so that with that first bite your guests will have that look of mixed surprise and delight at the nutty loveliness.

They go well with tortilla, and as an accompaniment to a variety of things (add link to chorizo crisps), and are a great vegetarian option on their own, and, for example, with a little cream and tagliateli or torteloni.  

Oyster mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil, salt.

INGREDIENTS
400g oyster mushrooms
150ml Noilly Prat (dry white vermouth or failing that white wine)
50g unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
parsley to garnish
flakey salt and pepper

METHOD
Put enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan with generous coat of oil and add the mushrooms, turn up the heat.
Add the mushrooms just before the oil starts to smoke and toss them in the oil to coat them all over.
Once coated sweat off the mushroom don't move them around too much allow them to brown from the heat of the pan.
Once they have released most of their moisture and are nice and golden brown, remove them from the pan to a bowl.
Get the pan hot, pour in the Noilly Prat / white wine - it should bubble as soon as it hits the pan - and boil until you can no longer smell evaporating alcohol. When you reach this point return the mushrooms to the frying pan, stirring them to coat them all over.
Once there is almost no liquid left in the pan remove the mushrooms to your bowl again and add the butter.
Melt the butter and heat it until it turn a light brown, (You do not want this smoking!) and then return the mushrooms to the pan, coat well. Once all the juices are soaked up, you can serve or put aside until later.

After they've taken a little colour they should like this. Fab!

If you put it aside simply return it to the pan to warm through.

Serve in a clay tapas dish with a few leaves of parsley on top and some rosemary bread.

A vegetarian dish: Oyster Mushrooms Noisette w/ Tagliateli and Baby Courgettes