Name: Roasted Chestnut Mushrooms
Yield: Serves 4–6
Ingredients: 1–2 teaspoons honey; 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1–2 teaspoons cumin seeds; olive or rapeseed oil; 1 teaspoon dried mint; 1–2 teaspoons Harissa Paste; 20–25 chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean; crème fraiche, thick yogurt or raita; a finger-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; 2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons Turkish mild red pepper paste; 2 teaspoons Zahtar; 10–12 walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped; a small bunch of coriander, finely chopped; a small bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Spirit & Spice

By Ghillie Basan

Published 2019

About

Mushrooms are quite commonly paired with whisky, both to enhance and contrast flavour notes in the spirit. By roasting mushrooms, you bring out the flavour, draw out the water, and retain a bite to the texture. Chestnut mushrooms are ideal for this and offer a great showcase for a tasty filling. I often prepare these mushrooms for whisky events as they can easily be adapted to complement different flavour notes.