Farinata with garlic mushrooms

Day 49: This dish takes a while but it it totally worth it. It is rich and tasty. Perfect for a Sunday.

My friend asked if I had any mushroom dishes on this blog. I must admit I had not. I have so many veggies from my Winter CSA it is hard to justify purchasing anything else. This has turned out to be a seasonal blog as well as a raw/vegan one!

However, I have been wanting to make this dish for a while so I thought I would not keep my friend waiting.

This is adapted from Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr and Chef Chad Sarno. They serve it with raw artichoke aioli and roasted tomatoes, but but I used my sun-dried tomato dip instead. I think I’d make it with aioli next time so it becomes a garlic explosion.

Ingredients:

Farinata Batter
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/3 cups chickpea flour
2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary

Mushrooms (I would double this amount, next time)
2 Tbs Earth Balance or other vegan butter
1 1/2 cups loosely packed wild mushrooms, preferably chanterelles or baby bellas (I would double this amount, next time)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs minced fresh chives.

Prepare farinata batter:
Combine everything in a food processor except for the rosemary. Once it has reached the consistency of pancake batter (add more flour if necessary). When the right consistency, add the rosemary to the food processor, so it is scattered in the batter. Set aside.

Prepare mushrooms:
Melt the vegan butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, taking care not to let it burn. Add the mushrooms and garlic, ensure the mushrooms are fully coated in the vegan butter and saute until the mushrooms have released their liquid (and aroma) and the pan is almost dry. Gently stir in the chives and remove from heat.

Prepare the farinata:
Place a large frying pan, crepe or griddle pan over a medium heat and add enough vegan butter to lightly coat the bottom. Ladle about 3/4 cup (slightly less) of the batter into the pan. Tip back and forth into a thin circle. It should be thinner than a pancake as it will be folded later. Cook until golden brown on the underside, about 3-4 minutes and flip over to cook the other side. Set aside on a plate and cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining pancakes.

Serve:
Cover half of each crepe with a heaping spoonful of mushrooms, drizzle on sun-dried tomato paste (or the aioli) and then fold closed. Serve with Italian broccoli or creamy green salad.