Mushroom salad

There's much more to mushrooms than the bit above the surface that we eat - root out some mushroom secrets.

Complicit in the downfall of Caligula and at the heart of the Quorn vegetarian product, don't be left in the dark about mushrooms.

Serves 4

Ingredients

400 g (14 oz) of shitake and oyster mushrooms, and any other wild mushrooms available
ciabatta loaf
olive oil to make croutons
2 bags of pre-washed salad leaves
16 rashers of dry cured bacon, cubed
2 cloves of peeled garlic, finely chopped
vegetable oil, and a knob of butter for frying

Dressing

Method

Preheat oven to 250°C/500°F/Gas mark 9.
Remove the crust from the ciabatta and pull off pieces in irregular shapes, approximately 2/3rds the size of a golf ball.
Place enough olive oil in a bowl to coat the ciabatta croutons lightly. Then place them on a roasting tray in the oven. Cook them for about 6 minutes until crispy on the outside but doughy in the middle.
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a glass jar. Put the lid on and shake the jar vigorously.
Fry the bacon cubes until crispy.
Slice the shitake mushrooms, pull apart the oyster mushrooms and prepare any other wild mushrooms you are using. Then, on a high heat, pan fry the mushrooms with the garlic and a little hot oil for 3–4 minutes. Remember not to overload the pan. Add the butter to the pan a minute before the mushrooms are cooked.
Put the salad leaves into a bowl, add the mushrooms, bacon and croutons.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, making sure all the ingredients are coated, and serve immediately.