King Oyster Mushroom Salmis in Red Wine

Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan). Rehydrate the dried porcini by covering them with 150ml boiling water in a small bowl; set aside. Dice all vegetables, mince the garlic, halve and quarter all fresh mushrooms, and measure out all remaining ingredients.

Toss the king oyster, portobello, and chestnut mushrooms with 1 tbsp olive oil, a generous pinch of flaky salt, and black pepper. Spread in a single layer across two large baking trays — do not crowd them.

Roast the mushrooms on the highest oven shelf for 18–20 minutes until deeply golden-brown and caramelised at the edges; they should be noticeably shrunk and slightly charred in places. Remove and set aside.

Lift the rehydrated porcini from their soaking liquid and roughly chop. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper, reserving every drop; discard the sediment.

Melt 1 tbsp butter with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, carrot, and celery and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden.

Add the minced garlic and chopped porcini and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the tomato purée and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until it darkens to a brick-red colour and begins to catch on the pan.

Sprinkle over the plain flour and stir vigorously for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.

Add the cognac and stir for 30 seconds, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base of the pan.

Pour in the red wine, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a brisk boil. Cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes until the wine has reduced by roughly half and the raw alcohol smell has dissipated.

Add the vegetable stock, reserved porcini soaking liquid, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and sugar. Stir to combine and return to a simmer.

Add the roasted mushrooms to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Simmer uncovered over low-medium heat for 15 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and the mushrooms are deeply infused with the wine.

Remove the bouquet garni. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp cold butter, one tablespoon at a time, swirling the pan to create a glossy, velvety finish.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately in warmed deep plates, scattered with flat-leaf parsley. Accompany with crusty bread, buttered egg noodles, or pommes vapeur.