OVERVIEW
The key ingredient of this mushroom dish from our wild cooking adventure on the Cowdray Estate wasn’t actually wild. While you may be lucky enough to see beautiful lion’s mane mushrooms growing in English woodlands, these rare fungi enjoy protected status and it’s against the law to pick them. You can, however, buy farmed lion’s mane.
George, the estate’s forager, shared with us the homemade wild garlic capers, elderflower vinegar and elderberry syrup we used in the salad dressing, but you could easily replace them with regular capers, a light vinegar of your choice, and either a balsamic reduction or a little maple syrup. He also picked the common sorrel, ground elder, salad burnet and oxeye daisy we used for the charred salad, but robust bitter leaves such as chicory, endive or dandelion would work well in their place.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Set up your EGG for direct cooking with the Stainless Steel Grid in place. The target temperature is 250°C. Place a skillet on the grid to heat.
Slice the lion’s mane into 5cm-thick steaks. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil.
PAN FRY YOUR MUSHROOM
Add the mushroom steaks to the hot skillet and press them down with a heavy pan, weight or Cast Iron Burger Grill Press to flatten them slightly. Close the Dome and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and firm.
Meanwhile, create a glaze by mixing the honey, smoked paprika, cumin and cinnamon in a Sauce Pot. Brush onto the mushroom steaks during the last minute of cooking.
DIRTY COOK YOUR SALAD
To make the salad dressing, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, elderberry syrup and garlic capers.
Once the lion’s mane is cooked, remove the grid from your EGG and briefly dirty cook your foraged greens or bitter leaves directly on the coals to slightly char the edges and lend them a lovely smoky flavour.
Serve the glazed mushroom steaks on a bed of greens, drizzled with the salad dressing.
