I first met JD Haasbroek (owner of Cape Town’s Fork restaurant) in London ten years ago. In fact, we shared a digs for a short while. A few years later I met Jonathan Japha, chef at Fork. What I didn’t know about Jonathan is that he is an expert mushroom forager. He’s been traipsing up and down Table Mountain learning the ropes from his father since he was a small boy.
When JD and Jonathan suggested a forage in the Noordhoek pine forests, I felt like a pig in shit (a truffle nest?). There’d been loads of rain followed by three days of sunshine – perfect conditions.
We found packets-full of pine rings and even a porcini, which had been nibbled by a porcupine. As you can see from the picture a porcini (or cep) is easily identified by its spongy underside.
Pine ring mushrooms, pictured below, have a distinctive neon-orange ring around the base of the stalk.
If you’re in town this weekend, you can go and try Jonathan’s pine ring fritatta at Fork. Luckily for me I have his recipe. Here it is:
Jonathan’s Pine Ring Fritatta
‘Frittatas are perfect for breakfast and brunch,’ says Jonathan, ‘and depending on the size you make, any leftovers can be cut into wedges and eaten like a Spanish omelette (tortilla) which would go well with other tapas dishes. Just a note that these mushrooms will turn your pee a neon orange – don’t be alarmed, it does not mean that your kidneys are about to fall out because you ate something poisonous (or did you?)’
You will need a frying pan with a handle that can go into the oven. If not, use an oven dish you can serve your frittata in. Turn the oven on to 180˚C.
5 free-range eggs, beaten
125ml (1/2 cup cream)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh herbs (parsley, a little tarragon, origanum, thyme, whatever you can find)
pine ring mushrooms, cleaned of grit and pine needles, sliced
garlic, peeled, grated
1T butter
1. Mix together the eggs and cream. Season.
2. Fry the mushrooms with the garlic in the pan over a high heat with a large spoon of butter. Once they are tender and have cooked out any excess moisture, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the herbs and add the egg mixture. Shimmy the pan gently to make sure the egg mix gets into all the gaps, then immediately turn down the heat.
3. Place a few knobs of butter at the very edge of the pan and allow them to melt down between the pan and the frittata –this will help you to get it out later. Place into the oven. It is ready once the egg is set and cooked through but still moist, about 15 minutes (but watch it!). You want a slight wobble in the centre.
4. Once cooked, gently slide it onto a serving plate.
Fork, 84 Long Street, 021 424 6334
Please note that it’s not a good idea to go out foraging without an expert!
Its quite a tricky thing mushroom foraging and definitely best done guided. So many lethal varieties out there, but there really is something deeply satisfying about foraging.#hunteragatherer
I must admit, even under expert guidance I was nervous… You right though, it’s really good fun!