Chanterelle season has arrived and I’m going crazy picking these gold-ish orange beauties. And, cooking as many as I can, as often as I can. While I’ve long favored simple preparations—I love chanterelle recipes that feature eggs as I think the flavors favor each other—my one true go-to is a stunning bread salad. A combination of spicy greens, bread, chanterelle mushrooms, and parmesan makes for a salad that could be a meal in itself. The mushrooms add a dense, almost meatiness to the salad, while caramelized figs serve to accentuate some of the fruit notes common in chanterelles. I served this salad to friends the other night. There were no leftovers.
While this bread salad is among my all-time favorite chanterelle recipes, I can’t claim full credit for it. I’ve been using this recipe for years and can no longer find the source. I’ve also adapted it along the way. So, here’s my version of the amazing panzanella chanterelle recipe.
Chanterelle Bread Salad Recipe
Note: If your chanterelles arrive wet, dry sauté them in a pan, cooking them in the liquid they release. Otherwise, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil, as recommended.
INGREDIENTS
2T olive oil2 cloves garlic
1 lb chanterelles, cleaned and cut
salt &pepper
3 cups Italian bread, such as Pugliese or a Italian country bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups dandelion greens, arugula, or watercress, or a combination
12 figs
1T roughly chopped parsleyParmesan shavings
For the dressing:
3 salted anchovies
1 clove garlic1 1/2 T sherry vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
Instructions:
-Heat oven to 300 degrees. Halve figs and place them on a baking sheet, face up. Roast the figs in the oven until they are soft and slightly caramelized.
-In 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté 1 clove garlic and the mushrooms until the chanterelles are soft. Season with salt & pepper and set aside to cool.
-Mash anchovies in bowl with 1 clove garlic. Add sherry vinegar, then whisk in the 1/3 cup of olive oil.
-Place bread, greens and chanterelles in large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss with parsley. Top with parmesan and figs.