I decided to give one of last month’s guru’s Agincourt-celebrating recipes a go…but it seemed a bit basic to me and I allowed myself to get enjoyably carried away in adapting it. The result isn’t so much Welsh, more European Union, but in any case the Saucy Dressings’ chief taster pronounced it ‘very good’. The sweetness of the brioche, he commented, complemented the strong taste of the leeks and mushrooms. Praise indeed.
This is an excellent vegetarian dish, leaving out, of course, the ham. These quantities would make a good starter for a vegetarian meal for four. Otherwise it’s a hearty lunch.
For two for lunch
- 120ml/½ cup dry vermouth (Noilly Prat ideally, or Martini)
- Olive oil and butter for frying
- 50g/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms… or you can make this with fresh mushrooms, in which case just add them towards the end of the cooking time for the leeks
- 300g prepared leeks (just the edible part)
- 25g/1 oz chopped parsley
- 1 tsp smoked salt
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 2 slices of brioche – of course, if you can’t find this ordinary, good bread will do
- 2 slices of Parma ham (optional, but it makes the whole thing much better)
- Hollandaise sauce, get the fresh ready-made if you can. This is also optional, but it goes surprisingly well
- Truffle oil…ideally the type that’s seen an actual truffle
- Soak the mushrooms for half an hour in some water (enough to cover)
- Warm some plates
- Slice the leeks and fry for about five minutes in a mix of olive oil and butter until they start to caramelise
- Add the salt
- Add the dry vermouth and stew gently for another ten minutes, or so…you really don’t want to rush this.
- Drain the mushrooms, reserving the water they were soaking in, and add to the leeks, continue cooking gently for another five minutes. If it all starts to look a bit dry just add some of the porcini water
- Add most of the chopped parsley
- Toast the brioche, butter it and put each slice on a warmed plate
- Top with a piece of Parma ham if using
- Top with the leek mixture
- Sprinkle over the Parmesan and the rest of the parsley. Drizzle with the truffle oil if you have any.