Mushroom Ragout with
Poached Duck Egg

Recipe (from the Guardian)

My ideal solace for a gloomy winter night. Serves four.

Ingredients

• 15g dried porcini

• 600g mixed mushrooms (wild and/or cultivated)

• 350g sourdough bread

• 100ml olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• Salt and black pepper

• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced

• 3 celery stalks, sliced

• 120ml white wine

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

• 100g soured cream

• 4 tbsp chopped tarragon and parsley

• 4 duck eggs, freshly poached

• Drizzle of truffle oil (or olive oil)

Soak the porcini in water for 30 minutes. Gently brush the fresh mushrooms, then cut the larger ones so you have a good selection of whole or large chunks. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

Remove the crust from the sourdough, and cut the bread into roughly 2.5cm cubes. Put these in a bowl, add two tablespoons of oil, two cloves of crushed garlic and a pinch of salt, and toss. Spread the croutons on an oven tray and toast in the oven for 17 minutes, turning a few times, until they are nice and golden all over.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy saucepan. Add some of the mushrooms, leave undisturbed for a minute or two so they don't exude their juices, then, once lightly browned, turn them over for another minute. Remove from the pan and repeat in batches with the remaining mushrooms, adding a tablespoon of oil every time. Once all the mushrooms have been seared, add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and throw in the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté on medium heat for five minutes without browning. Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute. Strain the porcini, squeeze out the liquid and tip the soaking liquids into the pan. Add enough water to bring up to 600ml.

Add the thyme and a little salt, and simmer slowly for 20 minutes, or until you are left with just under a cup of liquid. Strain, discard the vegetables and return the liquids to the pan.

When ready to serve, reheat the stock, add the mushrooms, soured cream and the herbs (reserve some to garnish), and season to taste.

As soon as the mushrooms are hot, place four croutons on each serving dish. Top with mushrooms, a warm poached egg, the remaining herbs, a drizzle of oil and some black pepper.