OTTOLENGHI MUSHROOM PARCELS

Nine summers ago, I found myself walking around London trying to find ways to entertain and feed (then two-year-old) Otis.  P was doing research for his dissertation, which left Otis and me with weeks to explore the city. As I pushed Otis' stroller through Notting Hill one morning, we stumbled upon a charmingly narrow and bright storefront with plates of tantalizing goodies in the window. After we went inside, I knew we were on to something. We chose spicy salads and baked treats to nibble on and wandered downstairs to the single communal table and settled in. The food was good - I mean really good. And the coffee was perfect. We ended up eating at Ottolenghi twice a day for the two weeks we were in London. On our final visit, the owner said that they had opened the week we arrived in London. He told us we were Ottolenghi's first regular customers.

In these past 9 years, big things have happened for Yotam Ottolenghi - now with 4 locations and 2 cookbooks, Ottolenghi is beloved not just in London, but globally.  Last week, Yotam came to the East Bay for an event at one of my favorite local restaurants, Camino. The evening was full of great food. And I was thrilled to reconnect with so many people from home (who just happen to be fans of Ottolenghi too.) Russ, the chef/owner of Camino, served a delicious dinner inspired by Ottolengi's new book Plenty. One of the many luscious dishes on the menu was wild mushroom parcels. Now, thanks to my newly purchased copy of Yotam's book, I can share the recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS - adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty
(printable recipe)

• 7 cups of wild mushrooms (Ottolenghi recommends a mix of button mushrooms and wild)
• 1/2 cup chopped chervil
• 1/4 cup chopped tarragon
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 tablespoons heavy cream
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• parchment paper
• kitchen twine

Preheat oven to 400.

Clean and prep mushrooms. Chop the big guys and leave the little ones unchopped.

Wash herbs and remove the leaves. Chop.

In a large bowl mix mushrooms, herbs, garlic, olive oil, cream, a few pinches of salt, and some generous grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat everything.

Cut six large squares of parchment (standard parchment allows for squares that are just shy of 13" x 13").  Scoop an equal amount (about one heaping cup) of the mushroom mix into the center of each parchment square. Gather the edges of the paper and tie with kitchen twine. Place uncooked mushroom parcels onto a baking sheet, and transfer the sheet to the hot oven.

Ottolenghi suggests baking the mushrooms for about 17 minutes. I found that some of my heartier mushrooms (fresh porcini) weren't cooked at this point. I recommend opening up one of the packets after the suggested cooking time and checking for doneness. You can always add more cooking time, if necessary.

When finished cooked, the mushrooms should sit in their packets for a few minutes be you serve them.

It's fun to place a wrapped parcel on every plate, so each diner gets the thrill of discovering the herby deliciousness inside.

Serves 6