One of the fellows at our local farmers' market is selling all kinds of mushrooms that his neighbour is growing in his barn. We couldn't resist buying this beautiful bunch of oyster mushrooms.
It almost seemed a shame to spoil the looks and cut it up. (We're drying the bottom section to put into stock.)
We drizzled the mushrooms with olive oil and then quickly grilled them in the barbecue wok.
We placed the grilled oyster mushroomson a bed of grilled red pepper and watercress that was lightly dressed with a simple vinaigrette. Garnished with fresh thyme, this was a brilliant first course for a festive dinner. We were a little worried that the perfectly chilled Jackson Triggs Riesling (2004) might be too sweet (even though the label says "Dry Riesling") for the mushrooms but it was lovely.
