Parasol Tempura

These gorgeous miniature umbrellas are one of the best beginner’s mushrooms, being not only completely unmistakeable and very visible, but tasting superb into the bargain . . .

Sadly these fantastic mushrooms do not dry well – but this is not generally a problem because to my mind they are the best of all mushrooms to fry lightly and serve on toast. It seems a bit of a cheat to give this as a recipe, however, so here is an unusual canapé or starter.

125g Plain flour
250ml Beer
Salt
3 – 4 Parasol caps

Lemon wedges

Oil for deep frying

Heat the oil and meanwhile sift the flour into a bowl and slowly add the beer, whisking to make a smooth batter (I use one of those handheld electric blenders). Season with a pinch of salt. Break the parasol caps up into wedges and dip in the batter. When the oil is almost (but not quite) smoking hot, drop in the battered wedges and fry for a minute or two until crisp and brown. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and crunch of black pepper.

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Recipes

Just as we Britons have lost any mushroom lore we might once have possessed, so most of us are at a loss when we finally venture into the kitchen with our haul. In reality, however, mushrooms are one of the easiest things to work with. They have such fantastic flavours, the general rule is to not to mask these with complicated recipes. Most should be cooked, particularly the first time, because they can be indigestible, but otherwise, simple is usually best . . .

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Parasol Tempura

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