Lucas Parkinson
The smell of a pine forest on a sunny day after heavy rain is unlike any other smell in the world, writes Lucas Parkinson.
It's almost euphoric to stand in the middle of a pine forest, close your eyes and focus on that smell for a minute or 10.
Recently, we here at Ode were lucky enough to have famous South Island forager Peter Langlands travel to Wanaka to conduct a mushroom foraging workshop with the team.
Every town has foragers. It's an amazing skill to learn - it definitely would have made my budget student meals much more exciting.
While in the forest, Benny, Ode's chef de cuisine, and I foraged some slippery jack mushrooms before discovering some birch boletes by a stand of silver birch trees.
Then, over by a big oak tree, we found a big porcini, some field mushrooms and a few fairy ring champignons.
That's five different edible mushrooms found in the outskirts of one inner-town park right here in Wanaka.
On the walk home, we spotted some watercress growing at the spring, so we grabbed some of that, too. And a few yarrow flowers for a cheeky garnish.
The next day, Willimena Van Riel turned up at our place with a huge sack of walnuts from her 130-year-old walnut tree in Luggate.
''Have them. I don't want your money. Just keep doing your workshops with the kids at Hawea Flat Primary School. They love learning to cook with you.''
The community spirit here is heartwarming, to say the least.
Photo: Supplied
Foraged wild foods
Today's dish is based on foraged wild foods. However, watercress and mushrooms from the market or local store will do just fine.
Serves 4
Cost $27* +$6 for some good local sourdough or ciabatta or Vogel's
Ingredients
750g mixed mushrooms
30g-40g toasted walnuts
40g-55g watercress
200g butter
5 large cloves garlic (pieces)
1 lemon
salt and pepper
100ml apple cider vinegar
55g raw sugar or honey
Method
Start by mixing apple cider vinegar with the sugar and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Then throw in a couple ice cubes to cool it down or refrigerate.
Take 55g of mushroom stems and cut into match sticks or thin slices and submerge in the vinegar solution.
Cut the garlic into thin slices, set aside.
Cut the mushrooms into small wedges or 1cm-2cm thick slices.
Cut your lemon in half ready for squeezing, or pre-squeeze.
Get a large frying pan really hot. If your pans are not big enough, then use more than one pan - you don't want too many mushrooms crowding one pan.
Pour in a tiny dash of cooking oil and a third of the butter, throw the mushrooms in and let them get really brown before tossing.
Cook on high for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown, and pour on to a tea towel or paper towel to rest and drain.
At the same take, your stems out of the vinegar and set on towel too.
Wipe out the pan and add the rest of the butter, add garlic and cook until light golden, then add the walnuts and saute/stir until the garlic is medium brown, then put the mushrooms back in the pan and saute/stir.
Add a couple teaspoons of salt at this point, then throw your watercress in the pan with a squeeze of lemon.
Toss together for a few seconds and then serve on super crunchy toast. Garnish with yarrow flower and pickled mushroom stem or your favourite edible flower.
Crack black pepper over it and add more salt if you desire.
This dish also works well with super crispy fried free-range eggs.
Yum!
Note: This dish can be served on toast or not; both ways work.
* organic store price
-By Lucas Parkinson
