Mushroom Sauce

Mushroom sauce must be my favourite sauce.

• I looked through my Polish cookbooks and many of the mushroom sauces are made with only dried mushrooms.  These are delicious and have a strong flavour however it works out very expensive and are not available everywhere.
• I am going to  give instructions for a sauce using fresh mushroom and just a small amount of dried mushroom and
• Another versions of this mushroom sauce using a mushroom stock cube.
• The best dried mushrooms are Boletus edulis, in Poland they are called borowik or prawdzik, in Italy porcini.
• I recently got some other dried mushroom which are also good.

Podgrzybki – Xerocomus badius

• In Poland there are now mushroom stock cubes which are very useful especially for making sauces.
• Years ago I brought loads back to England – now you can find these in the many Polish food shops.
• The ones I use are made by Knorr and contain a small amount of dried mushroom extract.

Mushroom sauce 1 – using dried mushrooms

Ingredients

• 150g fresh button mushroom caps – white and/or chestnut
• 5g of  dried mushroom (around 3 slices)
• 500ml hot boiling water
• 1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 2 large tablespoons of soured cream.
• Butter to cook the mushrooms in
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

• You need to start this sauce the night before or in the morning for use in the evening.
• Cover the dried mushrooms with 500ml of boiling water and leave to soak.
• The following day take out the reconstituted mushrooms and using a knife you can chop then up into tiny pieces or if the are soft enough you can  spread out the pulp on a chopping board.
• Slice the mushroom caps into fine slices and fry them gently in some butter till they are soft.
• Add the dried mushroom pulp and the liquor in which they were seeped.
• Simmer gently for about 5 to 10 minutes.

• In a little dish mix the cornflour with the milk.
• Add the cornflour mixture to the cooked mushrooms and stir gently over the heat until the sauce thickens.
• Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Remove from the heat and add the 2 large spoonfuls of soured cream and mix well in.

Note

None of these amounts are exact – they are a rough guide depending on what you have – you can use more water, milk or soured cream and so on.

Mushroom sauce 2 – using a mushroom stock cube

Ingredients

• 150g fresh button mushroom caps – white and/or chestnut
• 500ml hot boiling water
• 1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 2 large tablespoons of soured cream.
• Butter to cook the mushrooms in.

Note

I rarely have to add any more salt or pepper as the stock cube has enough seasoning in it.

Method 

• Dissolve the stock cube in the hot water.
• Slice the mushroom caps into fine slices and fry them gently in some butter till they are soft.
• Simmer gently for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a little dish mix the cornflour with the milk.
• Add the cornflour mixture to the cooked mushrooms and stir gently over the heat until the sauce thickens.
• Remove from the heat and add the 2 large spoonfuls of soured cream and mix.

Super served with boiled or creamy mashed potatoes – sprinkle chopped dill or parsley over them before serving.

Served on Carnation (1982 – 1998)  by Royal Doulton.