Cuisine from Spain Podcast 16 - Setas
by Ben Curtis
This seasonal mushroom dish, made here using wild setas, can actually be adapted to make a great tapa all year round.
Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
Half a kilo/1 pound wild mushrooms (setas)
Half a glass of white wine
3 sticks of parsley
Salt (a generous pinch!)
Pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Start by washing the mushrooms thoroughly, then place them in a sieve and let them dry for a while - if you need to cook them immediately, dry them a bit with a tea-towel. With the type of mushrooms I used, you can simply tear them into strips but if you use button mushrooms you need to slice them with a knife.
Put all the oil in a frying pan and wait till it starts to smoke. Add the garlic, which has been previously peeled and sliced roughly, and stir with a wooden spoon. When the garlic starts to brown add the mushrooms and stir them every now and again for 5 minutes. At this point add the wine and turn the heat down to medium. After another 5 to 10 minutes add the parsley and serve immediately.
Tips
If you want to try adding even more flavour to this dish, you can fry some bacon or ham (serrano or parma) in the oil with the garlic (remember that the garlic will need less time than either of these ingredients.)
If you can’t find wild mushrooms that you thing will be suitable, standard or button mushrooms will do just fine.
Discuss this recipe in the forum
Posted: October 27th, 2006 under Cuisine from Spain Podcast, Spanish Food and Drink.
Comments: 13
Comments
Comment from CarolK
Time: October 30, 2006, 11:05 am
Just served this dish for a dinner- party. Fantastic!
Went down a storm. Thanks for the post!
Comment from Marina
Time: October 30, 2006, 11:34 am
Thanks Carol, it’s makes me feel so happy :-))) to hear that the recipes get cooked and even more to hear that they are a success!!!
I’d like to ask you what kind of mushroom did you use? And if they were difficult to find in your area?
Ps I haven’t forgoten that I have to post a pic with type of mushroom that I used for this recipe -Setas cardo - and the orange ones -Niscalos.
Comment from Ben
Time: November 1, 2006, 4:28 pm
You can find a picture with the type of wild mushrooms that I used in the following link:
Top ones - Setas cardo (the ones that I used for this recipe)
Bottom ones - Niscalos
http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=206&d=1162394752
Comment from Marina
Time: November 1, 2006, 4:29 pm
Sorry it was me!!!
Marina.
Comment from Vicodin Detox
Time: November 4, 2006, 7:15 pm
I love Spanish cuisine! And while it’s quite easy to consume, some of it is harder for me to pronounce! I make all kinds of dishes. I would like to have some cold finger foods recipes so I can share them with my colleagues at the monthly meetings in which we share food.
Comment from Alex
Time: November 10, 2006, 12:36 pm
I believe the collective term for “some sticks of parsley” or any other herb is a sprig. I.e. add a sprig of sage to bring out the flavour of the meat.
Is there a term in Spanish?
Comment from Marina
Time: November 10, 2006, 6:35 pm
Thanks Alex.
We would use “una ramita de perejil” or whatever the quantity is but I don’t think we have a collective name.
… we have “Ramo” (bunch) but that is used for flowers, I don’t think one would use it with herbs.
Comment from Terri
Time: January 22, 2007, 4:21 am
For Marina: “una ramita de perejil” would translate exactly as “a sprig of parsley”, so between you and Alex, you have it right.
For Ben: When I clicked on the link to see a picture of the mushrooms, it said I had to be a forum member, and to log in, and I am not a forum member. Can I see the pictures somewhere else? As a mushroom hunter in California, I am VERY interested in the type of wild mushrooms used for this recipe in Spain.
Comment from Ben
Time: January 22, 2007, 8:21 am
Hi, there are lots of mushroom pictures from the markets in Catalonia here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spanishben/sets/72157594410012189/
The ones we used in this recipe can be seen here, in the higher box:
Comment from Terri
Time: January 22, 2007, 8:26 pm
Many thanks for your reply. I’m pretty sure that the picture of the mushrooms in the higher box are what we call “Oyster Mushrooms” here, or “Pleurotus ostreatus”—Latin name. They have a very delicate flavor, and thus the way Marina prepared them in a simple mild garlic, olive oil and white wine sauté would accent their flavor wonderfully. I commonly use them in a simple Cream of Mushroom soup (delicious), and they are also good dipped in a thin egg batter, rolled in bread crumbs and fried. I can’t wait for the next time my husband and I forage for some wild mushrooms this coming spring so I can make the “Setas” recipe on the podcast. One question–is “Setas” a generic term for all mushrooms in Spain, or does it refer to the particular kind of mushroom used in this recipe? In Colombia and Mexico, we just called all mushrooms “hongos”. Again, muchas gracias for your reply, and to both you and Marina for the wonderful podcasts.
Comment from Phillip
Time: February 22, 2007, 6:08 pm
Hi! Nice site!
Comment from shirley
Time: March 18, 2007, 3:38 pm
WOW! I have been searchinbg for any reference to setas since cooking them in Sitges, Espana over thirty years ago. I live on an island but would love to find a source for these wonderful mushroom in the So. of Boston, MA. area. thanks for sharing this info.
Comment from Marina
Time: March 21, 2007, 9:34 am
Hi Terri,
Setas is quite a generic name and it is used for many types of mushrooms except maybe the button mushrooms, known in Spanish as Champiñones, which are the easiest to find in Spain shops.
Shirley, I hope you can get hold of some setas in your area soon.
Thanks to Terri, Phillip and Shirley for your comments
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