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.