And a bundle of contradictions too, the prettiest are often poisonous, such as fly agaric, whilst the ugly or unprepossessing are delicious, bordering, in some cases, on divine - think ugly shaggy ink caps and unprepossessing truffle, neither would win prizes for their looks.
They are also very much of the moment, a true reckoning of the changing seasons, brought to life by the damp of early autumn, as seasonal as pumpkins and quince. There are wood blewits to be found in the Wyre Forest, well worth a detour on the way home and a bank of shaggy ink caps just outside the workshops, their briefest of peaks to be watched for between shy emergence and ebony liquefaction. Fascinating fungus indeed.
Instagram has been full of envy evoking baskets of foraged ceps and chanterelles this year. Sadly we have found neither and have had to resort to handing over our hard earned cash for a little mushroom magic.
Fortunately a small amount of mushrooms can be transformed into a delicious dinner and this is what I did with our humble haul from the farm shop.
For 2 of us
130g Arborio rice
Approx 300ml of chicken or vegetable stock
1 onion, finely chopped
80g butter
4 - 5 sprigs of tarragon
Grated rind of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
75g soft goat's cheese
A handful of wild mushrooms (use chestnut mushrooms if there is nothing more exotic available)
Keep the stock simmering (not boiling fiercely) in a saucepan
Melt 50g of the butter in a frying pan or prospector pan over a low heat.
Add the onion and cook gently until translucent. Add the rice and cook until it turns white and opaque.
Gradually add the stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring all the time.
When almost all the stock has been added, stir in the chopped tarragon, lemon rind and goat's cheese.
Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Stir in the final stock and then cover with a lid and set aside while you cook the mushrooms.
Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan and when it foams, throw in the mushrooms.
Cook until the mushrooms are golden and there is no liquid in the pan. Season with white pepper and add the lemon juice.
Place the mushrooms on top of the risotto and serve immediately, ideally with a glass of chilled white wine.
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