My naturopath has me on mushroom complex powder, so I thought I’d continue consuming more mushrooms by making a flavour packed mushroom sauce. I adapted this recipe from Maria Lurhigi (SBS Food) to be more suitable for people with dysphagia. Instead of Calvados I had some St Agnes brandy on hand which added a beautiful depth of flavour.
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
½ cup finely chopped brown onion
1 red apple, chopped and the skin removed ( skin can stay on if you don’t have dysphagia)
350 g Swiss Brown mushrooms, sliced (see Note)
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped sage
60 ml (¼ cup) Calvados (apple brandy) or St Agnes Brandy
60 ml (¼ cup) chicken stock ( I use a small amount of powdered chicken stock and hot water)
250 ml (1 cup) pouring cream
Finely chopped parsley (optional) but I like to add for additional nutrients
Method
Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan (skillet) over medium-high heat.
Add the olive oil and then the garlic, stir it well.
Add the onion, then the apple and cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the mushroom, salt, pepper and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender. I like to leave some moisture in the pan – refer to image below.
Add the brandy or Calvados and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and return to a simmer.
Pour in the cream and cook until cream has integrated into the sauce and mushroom.
Remove from heat, add the parsley, if using, and serve. Note: if you have dysphagia at this point I put all the mushroom sauce into a vitamiser and blitz it until its creamy and smooth.
Note: Despite thinly slicing the mushrooms I still found it a challenge to chew the mushrooms and then swallow, so blitzing it to a smooth creamy sauce won’t alter the taste and will provide a smooth sauce for you to use to help swallow. Blitz to a consistency you can manage.
