Mushroom orzo with soy sauce jelly, king oyster mushrooms and parsley

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Orzo, a ‘rice-like’ pasta, features in this recipe alongside a truly brilliant soy sauce jelly. A basic mushroom stock can be made the same way as a vegetable stock with the addition of dried shitakes, porcini and fresh white mushrooms.

To make this Matt Gillan dish fully veggie simply substitute the Parmesan for an animal product-free equivalent.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Mushroom orzo

Soy sauce gel

Parsley mayonnaise

Equipment

  • Blender

Method

1
Start by cooking the orzo. Bring a medium-sized pan of salted water to the boil, add the orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked - make sure to stir every few minutes to stop the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan
2
Drain and immediately spread the orzo onto a tray to cool. Once cool, place the orzo in a pan and add enough mushroom stock to cover. Place on a high heat and reduce. As it cooks, stir frequently with a rubber spatula - a metal tool will break up the pasta
3
Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a small amount of vegetable oil. Add the diced mushrooms and fry until lightly golden
4
Drain the cooked mushrooms on absorbent kitchen towel and add to the orzo. Once the stock has almost reduced to nothing, add the butter and stir well. Add the Parmesan and parsley and stir through. Season with salt, lemon juice and truffle oil to taste
5
Line a non-stick baking tray with silicone paper. For the soy sauce jelly, combine the mushroom stock, soy sauce and vegetable gel in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Gently whisk everything together - take care to avoid creating bubbles
6
Once the liquid comes to the boil, remove from the heat and pour onto the prepared tray. Work quickly to cover the tray with the liquid. Allow to cool and set in the fridge. Cut into 8cm squares before serving
7
For the mayonnaise, start by making a parsley purée. Wash the parsley and plunge into heavily salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Strain and refresh in ice cold water for a few minutes
8
Squeeze as much of the water out of the blanched parsley as you can and roughly chop. Place into a blender and starting on a low speed, add small amounts of iced water until the mixture begins to form a purée. Increase the speed until the purée is very smooth
9
Place the egg yolk, parsley purée and Dijon mustard into a bowl. Whisk together, while slowly adding the vegetable oil in a thin steady stream. Keep adding the oil until the mayonnaise thickens. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste
10
Cut the remaining king oyster mushrooms into 1/2cm thick slices. Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a little vegetable oil and fry the mushrooms on both sides until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen towel
11
Cover a large plate with cling film to form a taut, flat surface and rub over a small film of oil to cover. Sprinkle with a little salt and press the parsley leaves flat onto the cling film. Crisp up in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes
12
Reheat the orzo with a little water, stirring gently. Place 2 pieces of the warm fried king oyster mushroom onto the plate, followed by the orzo, soy sauce gel, parsley mayonnaise and crispy parsley leaves. Serve immediately
First published in 2015

A protégé of Daniel Clifford, Gordon Ramsay and John Campbell, Matt Gillan is well versed in the hallmarks of high-end cuisine, yet he retains a dazzling streak of originality.

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