Cook and Drink

The King Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus Eryngii, also known as Eryngi, King Trumpet Mushroom, Pleurote de Panicaut and Seta de Cardo) is a very tasty, large oyster mushroom with a great meaty texture. 
One of its Dutch names is intriguing: Kruisdisteloesterzwam. The name consists of two parts: the second half is obvious, but why the reference to a plant called Kruisdistel? The King Oyster Mushroom is a parasite on the roots of plants, in general on herbaceous plants and especially on the roots of the Kruisdistel (Eryngium campestre) which brings us nicely back to the name Eryngi.
We often buy Eryngi at our local Asian Supermarket, so we assumed the mushroom is native to China or Japan. Much to our surprise it turns out to be a native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its Italian name is Cardoncello and it’s common in regions such as Calabria and Puglia. Cardoncello is combined with tomatoes and served with orecchiette. Sounds like a delicious dish to us!
But it does raise the question why they’re often sold in Asian supermarkets and why so many recipes combine it with Asian ingredients. Anyone?
We decided to combine Eryngi with very different ingredients, including fried polenta and grilled pancetta. The result is a delicious combination with lots of textures and flavours.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed the combination with a glass of Rosé, produced by Lionel Osmin, from the Fronton area just north of the French city of Toulouse. The grape used to make this wine was the négrette, a grape that has been used to produce red and rosé wines in the Fronton region since perhaps the 12^th century. The wine was low in acidity and had aromas such as violet and strawberry. It was a supple, fruity, balanced wine. In general we would suggest a relatively easy wine, but the wine must have sufficient character, thinking of the different flavours in the dish.

What You Need

• For the Mash
  • Green Peas
  • Parsley
  • Olive Oil
  • White Pepper
  • Pinch of Salt
• For the Fried Polenta
  • Polenta
  • (optional) Parmesan Cheese
  • (optional) Vegetable Stock
• For the Mushrooms
  • King Oyster Mushrooms
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
• Pancetta or Speck

What You Do

1. Cook the polenta (in vegetable stock) according to the package until ready. You could add Parmesan Cheese.
2. Pour the polenta onto a plate and smooth it into an even layer (1,5 centimetres) with a spatula.
3. Cool to room temperature.
4. Cover with plastic foil and transfer to the refrigerator for use the next day.
5. Cook the peas for one or two minutes in water or vegetable stock (preferred). They should have a bite.
6. Chop the parsley and combine drained peas with parsley, white pepper and a pinch of salt.
7. Blender. Add olive oil and mix. Taste and adjust. The mash can be prepared in advance.
8. Turn out the polenta onto a cutting board.
9. Cut it into a shape you like (strips, triangles, circles).
10. Fry in a generous amount of relatively hot olive oil in a non-stick pan until golden, probably 2*3 minutes. 
11. In parallel clean the mushroom and slice (not too thin). Some suggest slicing the mushroom horizontally, but then you lose its impressive shape.
12. Fry in olive oil until golden brown, probably 2*5 minutes.
13. Add just a hint of black pepper before serving.
14. Warm the mash.
15. Also in parallel: grill speck or pancetta for 3 minutes until crispy.
16. Assemble and serve on a warm plate.