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Recipe Detail Page
Foraged Fritto Misto with Wild Leek Butter
Spring 2015
Stunning pheasant back mushrooms, fiddleheads, wild leeks and B.C. spot prawns are all in season at the same time, and there are few ways as simple, and simply delicious, to serve all of them than in a classic crunchy fritto misto. The accompanying pungent wild leek butter is just the right kind of excess.
Serves 6
WILD LEEK BUTTER
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 wild leeks, cleaned and trimmed, bulbs finely sliced, leaves julienned
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
1 lb (500 g) fiddleheads, carefully cleaned under running water
Sunflower oil for frying
1 cup (250 mL) flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
Sea salt
1½ cups (375 mL) cold water
3 medium pheasant back mushrooms, wiped clean, sliced into 1 inch (2.5 cm) strips
2 lbs (1 kg) B.C. spot prawns, peeled and
deveined
1 To make wild leek butter, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add sliced wild leek bulbs and gently cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and set butter and wild leek leaves aside while preparing fritto misto.
2 Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Blanch fiddleheads in salted boiling water; drain and immediately plunge into ice bath. Once cool, drain, pat dry and set aside.
3 Heat a 3-inch (8-cm) depth of oil to 375°F (190°C) in a large saucepan or deep-fryer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Linea large baking sheet with paper towel.
4 Whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch and 1 tsp (5 mL) salt in a medium bowl; add cold water and whisk until just combined. Working in batches, dunk fiddleheads, mushrooms and prawns in batter, shake lightly to remove excess, and deep-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to prepared baking sheet to drain.
5 Gently warm butter if necessary; stir in wild leek greens and season with salt to taste. Arrange fritto misto on a serving platter, sprinkle with salt and serve wild leek butter alongside for dunking.
Serves 6
