I have been visited a few times this month by a local resident who goes foraging for wild mushrooms in Surrey. This week he had a couple of large puffballs and some wonderful parasol mushrooms. The puffballs are quite amazing. Dense and meaty they are delicious drizzled with a herb infused oil and then cooked on a hot ridged griddle pan. Served with a peppery rocket salad, some shavings of Parmesan and slightly tart vinaigrette they make an excellent starter or light meal.
Puffballs can also be coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried to create a wonderfully satisfying and earthy fritter. The recipe below would work with a hens egg but it’s better with the slightly more intensely flavoured duck egg.
Puffball Fritters with Fried Duck Egg and Chorizo & Smoked Paprika – serves 4
1 large puff ball – cut into thick fingers
1 egg – whisked with a splash of milk
1 cup – plain flour – seasoned
1 cup – breadcrumbs
4 thick slices chorizo – cut into large lardons
4 duck eggs
Smoked Paprika
Caper vinaigrette
- Dip the fingers of puffballs into the egg wash, then into the flour, then into the breadcrumbs.
- Fry the chorizo until crispy, remove and keep warm. Wipe out the frying pan and gently fry the duck eggs in plenty of butter until the white is set (leave the yolk runny).
- Deep fry the puffballs until golden, blot with kitchen paper and serve with the egg. Sprinkle over the pancetta lardons, drizzle over some vinaigrette and dust with paprika. Serve with a small baby spinach salad.
Vegetables: Aubergine, Beetroot, Sweetcorn, Squash, Pumpkin, Cabbage, Fennel
Fish: Sea Bass, Mackerel, Oysters, Mussels
Meat: Lamb, Venison, Partridge, Grouse, Wild Duck
Fruit: Fig, Pear, Plum, Apple
