BUTTON MUSHROOMS WITH SCRAMBLED EGG AND WILD GARLIC
St George's Day, 23 April, marks the start of the mushroom season, and this is when this dirty-white mushroom usually appears. It is deliciously delicate in flavour. Wild garlic appears in the same season (but if you can't get hold of it, use another soft herb generously).
400g St George's mushrooms
55g butter
12 eggs, beaten
55g parmesan, freshly grated
2 tbs coarsely chopped wild garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted bread, to serve
If the mushrooms are large, then cut in two. Sauté them in half the butter until they go brown at the edges. Season to taste, then set them aside, keeping them warm.
In a non-stick pan, melt the remaining butter and when hot add the beaten eggs mixed with the parmesan. Stir with a wooden spoon to slightly solidify the mixture, but keep it soft.
Mix the wild garlic with the warm mushrooms, and arrange on a plate. Pour the scrambled eggs on the other side of the plate. Eat with a slice of good Italian toasted bread.
TRUFFLE HUNTER'S BREAKFAST
Truffle hunters are a breed of their own, having to get up early in the morning or even when it is still dark, to avoid being seen by competitors. Their patches of ground are contested very fiercely, because the truffles command an extremely high price. If the hunters have to go far from their homes, they take with them a gas burner, a pan, a little butter, eggs and fresh bread. They can then have breakfast in the woods with some of their bounty.
The ingredients here are for one person only, as truffle hunters are loners, but you can multiply the amounts by as many as you want to feed:
As much truffle as you can afford
20g butter
2-3 eggs
Fresh crusty bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean the truffle well before cutting or shaving.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the eggs and stir gently with a spoon to scramble. When still soft, add salt and pepper to taste. Next add shavings of black truffle or, if you are very lucky, white truffle, and eat with bread.
Recipes taken from the Complete Mushroom Book by Antonio Carluccio (Quadrille, £14.99).
