Mushroom & thyme ragout

INGREDIENTS

2 small leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
1 red onion
500g mixed fresh mushrooms, quartered
30g dried mushrooms
1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
25ml olive oil
250ml low fat yoghurt
5ml Dijon mustard

METHOD

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in 100ml water and let this stand for 10 minutes.

Warm 15ml of the olive oil in a large pan and add the onions, leeks, half of the thyme and garlic. Sauté on medium heat so that the preparation will soften without burning. Once soft, remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until they are brown. Then season, add the rest of the thyme and turn the heat up to reduce any excess liquid. You should be frying the mushrooms, not boiling them.

Squeeze the moisture out of the dried mushrooms, chop them up and add to the rest of the mushrooms and return the onions to the pan.

Use the brown mushroom liquid from the dried mushrooms to deglaze the pan and scrape any sediment off the bottom. Allow it to reduce until almost dry, then stir in the yoghurt.

Bring the heat down and allow the mushrooms and yoghurt to heat through properly and reduce slightly. Stir in the mustard and check the seasoning.

Serve with herbed barley.

Serves: 3, Preparation time: 15min, Cooking time: 20min