Mushroom tart with Peperoncino

Recipe for a spicy mushroom tart with Peperoncino flakes - made from self-collected hedgehog mushrooms

Ingredients (for 4 people) as a main dish with a side salad

1 kg mushrooms (in our case we used hedgehog mushrooms)

150 g mountain cheese

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp. Peperoncino flakes

1 tbsp. Lemon juice

30 g Butter

1 tbsp. flour

Salt and Pepper

Shortcrust:

250 g flour

125 g Butter

1 egg

Salt

This year was a very good mushroom year for me. From August until October I was able to find many delicious mushrooms in the Pfälzer Wald near Bad Dürkheim: Porcini mushrooms, parasols, boletuses, chanterelles, milkcaps, redcaps, cauliflower mushrooms, and my particular favourite, hedgehog mushrooms. They resemble the chanterelle in taste, but have a much firmer flesh which still has a pleasant bite even after frying or cooking. However, for this recipe, all types of mushrooms are suitable, even self-cultivated ones.

The hedgehog mushrooms should first be cleaned thoroughly in cold water. In contrast to other mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms do not absorb any water, which makes the job much easier. The mushrooms should be roughly chopped and put in a pot together with 2 crushed cloves of garlic. The pot should be filled half full with water and the mushrooms should be cooked for approx. 10-15 minutes.

The mushrooms quickly fall apart, so you should not use too much water. It is more important to retain the mushroom flavour in as little water as possible, as you will need part of the mushroom stock. The rest can be used as a base for a mushroom soup. Drain the mushrooms and set them aside. You will now need the mushroom stock.

In between, use the ingredients for the shortcrust pastry to make a smooth dough. It is quicker to do this step with your hands. Then put the dough in a 28 cm springform pan and ensure it is pressed down uniformly. Ensure that 2 cm protrudes over the edge.

Gently heat the butter in a pan, and using 1 tbsp. of flour, make a roux. Add as much mushroom stock as necessary to make a thick sauce. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and Peperoncino flakes. The mushrooms should then be put at the bottom of the springform pan and covered with sauce.

Next place the strong mountain cheese on top.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 180°C.

Serve hot - Bon Appetit !