Tag: mushroom

Pie with Walnuts, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

10 September 2026

The walnuts are the star of this pie! They have a drying effect, thanks to the tannins in the seed coat (the brown around the edible kernel) and they are slightly bitter, which pairs beautifully with the Roquefort. The walnuts give the pie a pleasant crunch.
We use a mix of mushrooms. If not possible, use chestnut mushrooms. Don’t use oyster mushrooms, as they release too much moisture.

Wine Pairing

Serve as a starter with a glass of unoaked, dry white wine. A cold beer will also be nice. The cake is not fussy!

What You Need
  • For the Pastry (15 cm or 6 in springform cake tin)
    • 100 grams of Flour
    • 50 grams of Water
    • 10 grams of Olive Oil
    • teaspoon Oregano
    • 1 gram of Salt
  • For the Filling
    • 4 rashers of Bacon
    • 150 grams of Mushrooms (Button Mushrooms, Shiitake, Nameko)
    • small Shallot
    • one Garlic Clove
    • Parsley
    • 2 organic Eggs
    • 50 ml Double Cream
    • 30 grams of Crème Fraîche
    • handful of Walnuts
    • 75 grams of Roquefort
    • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Combine flour, oregano and salt
  2. Add water and olive oil
  3. Kneed for a minute or so and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
  4. Preheat your oven to 180˚ C or 355˚ F
  5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface
  6. Coat a 15 cm or 6 inch round springform cake tin with oil
  7. Place the dough in the baking form
  8. Use a fork to make small holes in the pastry
  9. Line the pastry with parchment paper or aluminium foil, add baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Best is to use the second level of the oven rack, so just below the central one
  10. Remove the beans and the paper or foil
  11. Leave the pie shell in the oven for 5 minutes
  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
  13. Chop the shallot, the mushrooms, the parsley and the garlic
  14. Crush the walnuts
  15. Crumble the roquefort
  16. Heat a heavy iron skillet
  17. Fry the bacon until golden brown
  18. Remove from the pan and allow to cool
  19. Reduce heat
  20. Add the shallot to the pan and glaze
  21. Increase heat, add mushrooms and fry
  22. After a few minutes reduce heat and add garlic
  23. After 5-10 minutes transfer to a plate and allow to cool
  24. Slice the bacon
  25. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk
  26. Add cream and crème fraîche and mix
  27. Add Roquefort, parsley and black pepper and mix well
  28. Add bacon and mushroom mixture to the bowl and combine
  29. Add the filling to the blind-baed pie shell
  30. Transfer to the oven for 30-40 minutes on on 180˚ C or 355˚ F, same level as earlier
  31. Immediately after having removed the pie from the oven, brush the outside with olive oil. This will intensify the colour of the pastry
  32. Let cool and enjoy lukewarm (65˚ C or 150˚ F)
PS

Feel free to use more cream and less crème fraîche if you prefer a richer filling. If using a blue cheese with less presence, add more of it.

Pie with Blue Cheese, Mushrooms and Walnuts ©cadwu plus bacon, oregano, parsley and eggs
Pie with Blue Cheese, Mushrooms and Walnuts ©cadwu

Stuffed Portobello

3 September 2026

Portobello mushrooms are mature chestnut mushrooms (also known as common mushroom, champignon de Paris, button mushroom, cremini etcetera). Ideal to stuff and serve as a starter. We found them stuffed with ratatouille, with blue cheese and walnuts, with shrimps, with sausage and peppers: it seems anything goes! We decided to remain close to the flavour of the mushroom by stuffing them with chestnut mushrooms, shiitake and oregano. We topped them with taleggio, a semi-soft cheese from Italy with a mild taste. It melts easily, so you need to keep an eye on your oven! If you can’t get hold of taleggio, then use mozzarella instead and add a bit more flavour to the mushroom stuffing.

Wine Pairing

We decided to enjoy a glass of Viognier, made by Domaine Coudoulet in the Languedoc (France). The wine has aromas of peach and anise. The taste is fresh with a hint of orange zest. In general, we recommend a fresh, lightly fruity, unoaked white wine.

What You Need
  • For the Mushroom Stuffing
    • 150 grams of Button Mushrooms and Shiitake
    • one small Shallot
    • one Garlic Clove
    • Oregano
    • Black Pepper
    • (Excellent) Olive Oil
  • 2 Portobello mushrooms
  • Taleggio
What You Do
  1. Clean and chop the button mushrooms and shiitake
  2. Finely chop the oregano, the shallot and the garlic
  3. Gently fry the shallot in olive oil in a heavy iron skillet
  4. Add the mushrooms and fry on medium heat
  5. Reduce heat
  6. Add herbs and garlic
  7. Continue on low heat for 10-15 minutes
  8. Transfer the mushroom mix to a plate and let cool
  9. Add some olive oil to make the mixture smoother
  10. Taste and add some black pepper
  11. Store in the refrigerator
  12. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  13. Remove the stem of the portobello
  14. Using a small spoon, scrape out the dark gills from the caps
  15. Generously brush both sides of the caps with olive oil
  16. Slice the taleggio (with crust!)
  17. Stuff the portobello with the mushroom mixture and top with slices of cheese
  18. If you’re a true lover of taleggio: add a slice of cheese to the cap before stuffing with the mushroom mixture
  19. Transfer the mushrooms to the oven for 15 minutes
  20. (optional) During the last minutes increase to 200 °C or 400 °F
  21. Serve immediately.
Stuffed Portobello ©cadwu with button mushrooms, oregano and taleggio
Stuffed Portobello ©cadwu

Summer Truffle and Golden Chanterelle

30 July 2026

It’s always a great idea to combine seasonal ingredients: asparagus and morels, strawberries and rhubarb, summer truffle and golden chanterelle.
The season of the chanterelle runs from June to December. It’s a firm, bright yellow mushroom with subtle earthy, fruity flavour. It’s native to North America, Europe and Asia.
Summer truffles can be found between May and August. Their aroma and taste is very subtle. If slightly warmed, the flavour is more present (a bit nutty). If heated, the truffle loses its flavour.

The combination of chanterelle, truffle and cream is elegant and complex. The chanterelle gains depth from the truffle and vice versa. The pasta and the creamy sauce support the flavours beautifully.

Wine Pairing

We suggest a fruity, dry, red wine, with light tannins, for instance a Pinot Noir or perhaps a Gamay. We enjoyed a glass of Domaine Coudoulet Pinot Noir. This is a light, red wine from the Pays d’Oc in the south of France. It has a nice, light colour, aromas of strawberries, it’s refreshing and has a long finish. To be served somewhat chilled.

What You Need
  • 200 grams of Golden (Yellow) Chanterelle
  • 20 grams of Summer Truffle
  • 1 Garlic Clove
  • Stock (vegetable or chicken)
  • Cream
  • 1 teaspoon of Mustard
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Spaghetti 
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper
  • Salt
What You Do
  1. Add olive oil to a heavy iron skillet. Set on low heat
  2. Slice the garlic in 3 or 4 and add to the oil
  3. Leave the oil on very low heat for 10-15 minutes
  4. Clean the chanterelle with a brush. Take your time!
  5. Cut the chanterelle in 2 or 4, depending on the size
  6. Clean the truffle
  7. Grate a quarter of the truffle, slice the remainder
  8. Grate some Parmesan cheese, just to thicken and gently flavour the sauce
  9. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with some salt until al dente, according to the instruction on the package
  10. Remove the garlic from the pan
  11. Add some butter to the pan and increase the heat
  12. Fry the chanterelle
  13. Reduce heat
  14. Add stock, mustard and cream. Combine
  15. Add Parmesan cheese. Combine
  16. Add the spaghetti to the pan
  17. Taste and adjust
  18. Just before serving add black pepper and grated truffle
  19. Combine and serve
  20. Decorate with the summer truffle slices 
Summer Truffle and Chanterelle ©cadwu with spaghetti, cream, mustard, butter and flavoured olive oil
Golden or Yellow Chanterelle ©cadwu

Lion’s Mane

28 May 2026

If you search for Lion’s Mane mushrooms, you will find lots of references to supplements with wonderful health benefits, ranging from supporting longevity to improved cognitive functions. It’s also supposed to have antibiotic, anti-fatigue and anti-ageing properties. Sounds great, but how do the fresh mushrooms taste?

Lion’s Mane (also known as Yamabushitake and Hou Tou Gu) is a mushroom native to North America, Asia and Europe. Their flavour and texture sets them apart from many other mushrooms. A bit sweet, mild, some umami, subtle, a hint of seafood (crab, lobster). The texture meaty and elastic with a unique structure thanks to the spines.

Alan Bergo (the Forager Chef) uses them to make crab cakes. He writes: This is one of my all-time favorites. I guarantee this is so good, some people may not be able to tell it’s a crabcake made from mushrooms instead of crab.

We thought it would be nice to make a dish with various flavours, allowing us to taste the mushroom on its own, but also with the Tomato Confit and Polenta. Combining it with tomato enhanced the flavour of the mushroom and made it more complex (sweet, sour, umami, aromatic). The combination with Polenta was nice, perhaps because of the various textures.

Wine Pairing

Grüner Veltliner is a wine typical for Austria, with flavours such as lime, grapefruit and white pepper. We enjoyed a glass of Grüner Veltliner, made by Eisacktal Valle Isarco, from the Alto Adige region in Italy. It is fruity, fresh and slightly spicy with clear acidity. Very nice with the flavours in the dish. In general we suggest a fresh, dry white wine with hints of green apple and/or citrus. 

What You Need
  • Mushrooms
    • 100 grams of Lion’s Mane
    • Olive Oil
  • Polenta
    • Polenta
    • Vegetable Stock (optional)
    • Parmesan Cheese
    • Thyme
  • Tomatoes
    • Tomatoes
    • Thyme
    • Rosemary
    • Garlic
    • Olive Oil
What You Do
  1. Day before
    1. Cook (in vegetable stock) the polenta according to the package until ready
    2. Add some Parmesan cheese and thyme
    3. Pour the polenta on a plate and smooth it into an even layer (1,5 centimetres) with a spatula
    4. Cool to room temperature
    5. Cover with foil
    6. Transfer to the refrigerator for use the next day.
  2. A few hours before
    1. Wash and dry the tomatoes and add these to a baking dish
    2. Chop the garlic
    3. Add herbs, garlic and a generous amount of olive oil to the dish
    4. Put in the oven for something like 2 hours on 90 °C or 200 °F
    5. Baste the tomatoes once or twice
    6. Don’t forget to use the cooking liquid as well, it’s another pack of flavours!
  3. Preheat your oven to 65 °C or 150 °F
  4. Turn out the polenta onto a cutting board
  5. Cut it into a shape you like (strips, triangles, circles)
  6. Fry in relatively hot olive oil in a non-stick pan until golden, probably 2*5 minutes. 
  7. In parallel clean the mushroom and slice (not too thin)
  8. Fry in olive oil until golden brown, probably 2*2 minutes
  9. Transfer to the oven
  10. Leave for 5 minutes in the oven
  11. Add just a hint of black pepper to the mushrooms before serving.
  12. Assemble and serve on a warm plate.
PS

Best to buy young mushrooms, the size of a tennis ball.

Fried Lion's Mane ©cadwu served with fried polenta and confit of tomato
Slice of Lion's Mane Mushroom ©cadwu
Lion's Mane Mushroom ©cadwu

Hot and Sour Soup

2 April 2026

When shopping in an Asian Supermarket you will probably notice bags with ‘dried Black Fungus’. Not the most appealing name. Two popular edible mushrooms belong to the Auricularia family, Wood Ear and Black Wood Ear. Both are known as Black Fungus. The mushrooms grow on decaying wood and old logs. Wood Ear is common in Europe and Black Wood Ear in Asia. Alternative names are Cloud Ear, Jelly Ear and Judas’s ear.
The mushrooms have a chewy, gelatinous consistency and are often used in dishes such as hot and sour soup, stir fries, casseroles and even salads. Their flavour is rather bland which makes them ideal to absorb flavours.

A few days ago, it was our lucky day, fresh Wood Ears! First time for us and we had to buy them. We used 75 grams in a variation on Mapo Tofu and 25 grams for the soup. Both dishes were delicious and special, thanks to the structure of the Wood Ear.

What You Need
  • Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • 1 teaspoon of Chili bean paste (Toban Djan) or Sambal
  • 1 tablespoon of Rice Vinegar
  • 25 grams of fresh Wood Ears or 5 grams of dried Wood Ears
  • Bamboo Shoots
  • Firm Tofu
  • 1 cm of Fresh Ginger
  • Sesame Oil
  • Soy Sauce
  • 1 Egg
  • Scallion
  • (optional) Corn Starch
What You Do
  1. If using dried mushrooms, soak these for 60 minutes in water and drain
  2. Remove any dirt
  3. Cut off the woody stems if necessary
  4. Slice the mushrooms
  5. Slice the bamboo shoots
  6. Drain and dice the tofu
  7. Grate the ginger
  8. Whisk the egg, you will probably need half of it 
  9. Heat the stock
  10. Add chili bean paste
  11. Add vinegar
  12. Mix well
  13. Taste and adjust
  14. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu and ginger
  15. Leave to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
  16. Add soy sauce and sesame oil to taste
  17. If you want to thicken the soup, do so now. We decided not to, relying on the egg to create a nice mouthfeel
  18. Slowly drizzle in the egg while stirring the soup in a circular motion
  19. Serve with sliced white scallion
Hot and Sour Soup ©cadwu with wood ear mushrooms, ginger, chili paste, tofu and rice vinegar. Also ribbons of egg
Wood Ear ©cadwu

Blue Cheese and Mushroom Mini Bites

12 February 2026

A few months ago we read a recipe for Herb and Mushroom Egg Bites. The bites looked like mini quiches. They were made with a combination of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, cheese, thyme and chives. We simply had to make them. They egg bites turned out to be delicious. Thanks Jeanne for sharing! More delicious recipes on her website.

Jeanne served them as a side dish with grilled tuna, focaccia and a rich salad. As she wrote: a perfect summer meal. We wanted to serve the bites as a starter. Worked well, but we felt something was missing. Why not make them smaller and serve them with an aperitif? That could work, but we would have to enhance the flavour. Which we did by using Roquefort (our favourite blue cheese) and dill. We used a silicon mould with 2,8 cm (1.1 inch) semi-sphere holes.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed the mini bites with a glass of dry, sparkling wine. They will also combine very well with a dry white or rosé wine, or with a beer. Given the flavours of the mini bites, they are best combined with a non-sweet drink.

What You Need
  • 2 Eggs
  • 50 grams of Roquefort or another strong blue cheese
  • 100 ml Cream
  • Lots of Dill
  • 2 slices of Pancetta
  • 100 grams of mixed mushrooms, including Shiitake
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Slice the mushrooms
  2. Chop the dill
  3. Prepare the semi-sphere mould according to the instruction. We lightly buttered ours
  4. Pre-heat your oven to 170 °C or 340 °F (traditional, so not fan)
  5. Gently fry the slices of pancetta in a skillet
  6. When nicely done, transfer from the pan to a plate with kitchen paper
  7. Fry the mushrooms in the pan until done
  8. Transfer the mushroom to a plate and allow to cool
  9. Whisk the eggs and add the cream
  10. Add Roquefort, dill, crumbled pancetta, mushrooms and black pepper. Mix
  11. Taste and adjust
  12. Use a blender to pulse the mixture: you’re looking for a batter that is a bit smoother, but not completely smooth
  13. Pour the batter in the semi-sphere silicon mould and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes or until golden-brown
  14. Let cool in the mould for a few minutes, then pop them out
  15. Serve warm
PS

If you want to go for larger bites, then skip step 12. You could decorate each with a slice of mushroom.

Roquefort and Mushroom Bites ©cadwu with egg, pancetta and dill.
Roquefort and Mushroom Mini Bites ©cadwu with egg, pancetta and dill

Easy Mushroom Pie

22 January 2026

Thyme, oregano, nutty mushrooms and Parmesan cheese: a delicious combination at the heart of this easy mushroom pie. We used ready-made puff pastry, so making the filling is all you need to do.

Oregano (Origanum Vulgare) is typical for the Mediterranean cuisine. The leaves have an intense, earthy, slightly bitter taste. Use it when making tomato sauce, grilled vegetables or a lamb stew. Dried oregano is nearly as tasty as fresh oregano. When buying fresh oregano, make sure you’re not buying marjoram (Origanum Majorana) because its flavour is less intense and a bit sweet. To add to the confusion: oregano is also called wild marjoram whereas marjoram is called sweet marjoram.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our easy mushroom pie with a glass of Bardolino, made by Monte del Frà from Italy. The grapes used are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. It is a well-balanced, vibrant ruby red wine with lots of fruit and a hint of spices. Medium acidity. In general, you’re looking for a refreshing red wine with lots of fruit that should be served slightly chilled.

What You Need
  • 200 grams of firm Mushrooms, we used small Eryngii
  • 50 grams of Pancetta
  • 3 Eggs
  • 50 grams of Crème Fraîche
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Shallot
  • 2 cloves of Garlic
  • Puff Pastry
  • Olive Oil
What You Do
  1. Warm a skillet
  2. Chop the shallot, the garlic and the oregano
  3. Clean the mushrooms and slice in two if so required
  4. Add some olive oil to the pan
  5. Add slices of pancetta
  6. Fry until crispy
  7. Transfer to a plate with kitchen paper
  8. Add the shallot to the pan and fry on low heat
  9. After a few minutes add the mushrooms and fry over medium heat
  10. After a few minutes add the garlic
  11. Reduce heat
  12. When all nicely done, add the thyme and the chopped oregano
  13. Set aside and let cool
  14. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  15. Whisk the three eggs
  16. Add crème fraiche
  17. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper
  18. Cut or crumble the pancetta and add to the mushroom mixture
  19. Add the mushroom mixture to the egg mixture, combine
  20. Coat a 19 cm or 7.5-inch round baking tin with thin puff pastry
  21. Add the mixture and distribute evenly
  22. Transfer to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden
  23. Allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes
  24. Remove from the tin as soon as possible
  25. If the bottom is not done, then transfer back to the oven (without the tin) for 10 minutes and set your oven to 160 °C or 320 °F, lower heat only
  26. Let cool and enjoy at 65 °C or 150 °F
PS

Skip the pancetta for a vegetarian version of this easy mushroom pie. Add extra thyme, oregano and Parmesan cheese.

Easy Mushroom Pie ©cadwu with thyme, oregano, nutty mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. The vegetarian version is as tasty as this one.
Easy Mushroom Pie ©cadwu

Your Favourites in 2025

8 January 2026

In 2025 the most popular recipe was Scallops with Roe. We were inspired by the great quality of the scallops on the market in Nice and we were not disappointed. The combination of scallops, roe and mashed potatoes is simple and delicious.

This year’s runner up is an all time favorite: Kimizu. This classic, golden sauce from Japan, is made with egg yolks, rice vinegar, water and mirin. We also made a version with tarragon, let’s say the Béarnaise version of Kimizu. Although it is a classic sauce, we use a microwave to prepare Kimizu and Kimizu with Tarragon. An easy and very effective way of controlling temperature and consistency.

Number three was another classic sauce: Ravigote. We served it with Pâté de Tête Persillé and crusted bread. The recipe we posted goes back to the more or less original version. The Ravigote is light, uplifting and flavorful.

You’ve probably noticed we love mushrooms. Cultivated ones, like shiitake and oyster mushrooms and seasonal ones, such as morels and Caesar’s mushroom. This year we introduced a page with mushroom recipes in Dutch. It turned our to be a great success!

A few years ago we started exploring forgotten vegetables such as mashua and oca. We’re very pleased to see the popularity of this page. Clearly you’re as interested in these vegetables and their flavours as we are!

This year we will continue our series of sauces and of mushroom recipes, we will prepare dishes from illustrious Parisien restaurants and discuss wine pairing. We also plan to review cookbooks, with the help of our much loved tasting panel. In the meantime we look forward to your feedback, suggestions, likes and comments.

Let’s start cooking!

Scallops with Roe ©cadwu
Sauce Ravigote ©cadwu
Eggs Benedict with Kimizu ©cadwu
Een eenvoudige Paddenstoelentaart
Oca (raw) ©cadwu
Parsnip ©cadwu
Oca (fried) ©cadwu
Mashua Cooked ©cadwu

Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce

13 November 2025

In 1989 Antonio Carluccio published A Passion for Mushrooms. The book describes various mushrooms, discusses their habitat and edibility and of course offers a range of mushroom recipes. A Passion for Mushrooms includes some wonderful recipes and combinations we didn’t expect, for instance Truite aux Pied Blues and Ragout de Crevettes Rose et de Morilles. The book also includes a chapter on conservation techniques.
Earlier we prepared two dishes from the book, Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms and Halibut with Saffron Milk Cap.
A Passion for Mushrooms is a must have for mushroom-lovers. The book is available via the usual channels and perhaps at your local second-hand bookstore. Prices will vary.

Trompette de la Mort

Horn of Plenty is a black chanterelle, also known as Trompette de la Mort, Black Trumpet, or Trumpet of the Dead. A very tasty mushroom, with just one downside: removing all the sand, small leaves and unappetizing bits is a lot of work.
Carluccio poaches sole fillets and combines these with a combination of mushrooms, butter and lemon. Inspired by his recipe we prepared Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of white Rioja with our Trompette de la Mort. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the mushrooms, the sole and the acidity of the sauce.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity. 

What You Need
  • For the Poached Sole
    • 4 fillets of Small Sole
    • 5 cm of Carrot
    • 5 cm of Celery Stalk
    • 1 Bay Leave
    • Crushed black pepper
  • For the Mushrooms
    • 100 grams horn of plenty
    • ¼ Red Bell Pepper
    • Olive Oil
    • Black Pepper
  • For the Sauce
    • 1 Egg Yolk
    • 20 ml Lemon Juice
    • 10 ml Water
    • 1 Teaspoon of Mirin
    • White Pepper
What You Do
  1. Clean the mushrooms
  2. Finely cube the red bell pepper
  3. Warm a pan of water until just simmering. It’s crucial not to overheat the water. The internal temperature of fish should be between 70 °C and 75 °C (or 160 °F and 165 °F).
  4. Add sliced carrot, sliced celery, bay leave and crushed black pepper
  5. Leave on this temperature for 10 minutes or so
  6. Heat a heavy iron skillet and add some olive oil
  7. Reduce heat and add cubed bell pepper
  8. Role up the fillet: skin side on the outside and start with the smaller part of the fillet
  9. Use a simple wooden cocktail stick to fix the role
  10. Poach the sole until done, depending on the size, 4 minutes
  11. Keep the sole warm in an oven at 65 °C or 150 °F
  12. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the bell pepper
  13. Fry gently
  14. Add some black pepper to taste
  15. Keep an eye on the mushrooms
  16. Combine egg yolk, lemon juice and mirin
  17. Make the sauce au bain marie or in the microwave
  18. Add some white pepper to the sauce
  19. Serve the sole on top of the mushrooms
  20. Add the lemon sauce
  21. Serve immediately on a warm plate
PS
  • The sauce is based on Japanese Kimizu. In this recipe we explain how to use a microwave.
  • You could also use grilled and peeled red bell pepper. That will give some smokiness to the dish, which is nice, but not necessary.
Trompette de la Mort with Sole and a Lemon Sauce, based on a recipe by Antonio Carluccio. The Sauce is basically a Kimizu with lemon juice. The sole is poached. The mushrooms fried with red bell pepper
Horn of Plenty ©cadwu

Saffron Milk Cap with Octopus and Tomatoes

30 October 2025

Saffron Milk Cap with Chorizo and roasted Bell Pepper is one of our favourites. More recently we followed a recipe by Antonio Carluccio for a combination with Halibut. Another great combination. They can also be combined with Squid, with gamba and with Potatoes and Eggplant.
Saffron Milk Caps (Rovelló de Botó) are very popular in Spain. The picture below shows fresh Saffron Milk Caps on the Mercado Central in Valencia. Thinking about Spain we came up with the idea of combining the mushroom with octopus.

Wine Pairing

We opened a bottle of Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet. Picpoul de Pinet (Son terroir c’est la mer) is a white wine from the South of France between Narbonne and Montpellier. The terroir (think calcareous soil) is influenced by the sea, which is reflected in the mineral taste of the wine. The story is that Picpoul could be read as pique poul which translates into something like ‘stings the lip’; a nice reflection of the high acidity of the grapes. This acidity guarantees a refreshing white wine, which is exceptional given the warm climate. The wine is bright yellow with a very subtle touch of green. It’s aromatic, floral and fruity. The taste has notes of citrus and apple.
In general we suggest drinking a refreshing, unoaked white wine that goes well with seafood.

What You Need

  • For the Sauce
    • 4 Tomatoes
    • 1 Shallot
    • 1 Garlic Clove
    • Red Wine
    • Thyme
    • Olive Oil
  • 150 grams of Saffron Milk Cap
  • 200 grams of pre-cooked Octopus Tentacles
  • Parsley
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

  1. Peel, seed and dice the tomatoes.
  2. Don’t discard the skin and the seeds: use a strainer to get as much tomato juice as possible
  3. Chop the shallot
  4. Chop the garlic finely
  5. Heat a skillet, add olive oil and add the shallot.
  6. Fry for a few minutes
  7. Add garlic and tomatoes
  8. Reduce heat
  9. After a few minutes add the tomato juice, half a glass of red wine and thyme
  10. Leave to simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until the sauce is ready both in flavour and texture
  11. Cool and transfer to the refrigerator
  12. The next day clean the mushrooms and slice (not too thin)
  13. Chop the parsley
  14. Heat a skillet, add olive oil
  15. Add the sliced mushroom
  16. Fry for one minute
  17. Reduce heat
  18. In parallel grill the pre-cooked octopus tentacles (4-6 minutes)
  19. Add the tomato mixture to the pan with mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
  20. Taste and add cayenne pepper. You’re looking for a fairly sharp, spicy taste
  21. Add parsley to the mixture and combine
  22. Slice the octopus
  23. After a few minutes add octopus to the mixture without combining,
Saffron Milk Cap are combined with a rich tomato sauce and then grilld Octopus Tentacles are added ©cadwu
Fresh Saffron Milk Cap ©cadwu