A positive mushroom post and a tasty stir fry

 Here's some proof you can go on a lovely walk and also end up with a tasty dinner too!

Glen Ure, Argyll

The other week I went on a little family stroll up the picturesque Glen Creran to Glen Ure in Argyle. The glorious October sun was shining and low and behold so was the mushroom god too. Beside an old farmhouse was a couple of large decaying felled trees growing on which were a nice amount Oyster Mushrooms. Now I like oyster mushrooms, they are easy enough to diagnose, tasty and usually clean and not full of nasty wriggling things. I usually take a sneaky carrier bag with me in my pocket on such jaunts but this time I didn't so I carefully stuffed as many as I could in my pockets on the way back home. Fresh oyster mushrooms have a very distinct smell, very clean and slightly perfumed. My jacket now permanently smells like oyster mushrooms.

 So what to do with them!

 Wild mushroom stirfry - with extra violent kung foo cooking methods and a Szechuan twist
Serves two-ish

About 250g of oyster mushrooms or shitake (not orange birch bolete as they are shit) roughly chopped
A nest of egg noodles - not chopped
1 x onion sliced with a machete
2 x cloves of garlic beaten with a hammer
Half a packet of mange tout that were left over (whole as you will need some rest for the next ingredient to be processed)
Small red chilli - head-butted until finely minced (avoid eye contact)
A thumb sized piece of ginger finely chopped or smashed with a baseball bat
Light soy sauce
Shoaxing cooking wine
10 or so Szechuan pepper corns
Sweet chilli sauce
Sesame oil

Method
 First prepare all the veg so they are at hand and ready to go for when you cook, remember stir fries need to be hot and quick! Have a sit down if need be. Get a pan of salted water on to boil and then cook the noodles until done, drain and add a glug of sesame oil to keep them separate and add a nice whack of flavour, I drain them in the pan then put the lid back on to keep them warm. Get your wok nice and smoking hot. PUT THE EXTRACTOR FAN ON AND CLOSE THE KITCHEN DOOR AS YOU WILL SET OFF THE BLOODY SMOKE ALARM AGAIN. Add a good glug of oil and then quickly fry the garlic, ginger and chilli plus the Szechuan pepper corns, the oil carries the flavour through the dish. After about 30 seconds pop in the onions and keep everything moving, next add the mushrooms. A lot of water may come off them so keep the heat up and possibly pour a bit of liquid off and reduce in another pan if need be. Add the mange tout and a good slug of the soy sauce, the shaoxing wine and the sweet chilli sauce. Stir in the noodles and mix everything right up. Cook for a minute or so then dish up. I like to top with fresh coriander and pickled ginger. Goes beautifully with an off dry aromatic white like a Vouvray or Gerwurztraminer.