Ingredients (in order of appearance):
Olive Oil
Prosciutto
Red Chillies
Sliced Mushrooms
Salt
Powdered Spices: Black Pepper
Herbs: Thyme
Garlic Puree
Sliced Bread
Result: Positive
Hardly a devastating culinary discovery, although no less enjoyable for it, this has become something of a signature dish for me. It’s also a very pleasant little way to fill one’s tummy at lunch. Or evening, if you’ve already had your larger meal around midday. Or you can have it in the middle of the night, should you find yourself unable to sleep and desperately need to do some fridge clearing. Or… oh you get the idea!
I first stumbled upon the dish whilst in the midst of watching the marvellous Russian art film “Following the Sun”, to give it its English title, therefore I now associate the two experiences. Does that count as a “sense memory” sort of thing? Yes or no, I am happy for it to be so.
Oh dear, I appear to be rhyming again!
My version involves me tearing apart a couple of strips of prosciutto, then giving them a quick fry in a saucepan. You heard me right, a saucepan! I then throw in a few sliced chillies, being sure to get the big ones, which are usually mild. I’ve not been terribly well this year, so have found my having to ease off on my beloved Scotch bonnets. I really haven’t been able to deal with more than one physical discomfort at a time.
So, yes, after those two ingredients have had time to mingle, I mix in a load of sliced mushrooms. I buy bags of pre—sliced ones nowadays, not out of laziness, but merely as a way of freeing up space in my depressingly-tiny fridge. I mean, just look at a carton of whole mushrooms and take note of all the wasted space in there! If they’re pre-sliced, it means they can lie nice and flat on the shelf.
Once these three key ingredients have cooked down somewhat, releasing all their natural juices, I add the garlic and herbs and spices to taste. Another good reason for using large red chillies, instead of bell peppers, is that a) the moisture release is minimal and b) they don’t stink quite like peppers do. I love bell peppers, especially the green ones, but they do reek a bit!
The first time I made this, part of the idea was to use up the last two slices of bread in a loaf. I can’t abide waste! They had gone slightly stale too, which meant the moisture in the pan didn’t completely disintegrate them. I now toast fresh slices, but only until they go a little hard. No browning, people! Technically, this means the recipe should be called: “Garlic Mushrooms on Toast”, but I really do eat it more like a sandwich.
After pouring the contents of the saucepan over the bread and sitting down to eat, I leisurely pick away at the top layer of mushrooms and chillies and prosciutto. Basically, this means that, once the filling isn’t too bulky, I can take each slice of bread and fold it in half like a taco, consuming the remainder of the dish like a ravenous beast! I’m sure that, if I employed the regular sandwich format of placing the filling between the two slices and pressing down, it’d all just annoyingly pour out the sides.
It’s all just so delicious and oh-so-simple!
Remember, the dried-out bread is a key factor.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
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