mushrooms on toast

sadly, pathetically, there is a celebrity chef recipe attached to this. i know, how much more self-explanatory can this recipe possibly be? i've been reading nigel slater's autobiography, "toast" (see sidebar), and well, i've been craving it. so here is relatively complicated recipe for a v. simple dish, courtesy of bill granger's "bill's food":


1 1/2 oz. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra, for brushing
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb. mixed mushrooms
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
4 slices sourdough bread
1 garlic clove, extra, for rubbing on bread
1 cup ricotta cheese

put half the butter with the oil and chopped garlic in the saucepan over a medium to high heat. add the mushrooms, 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper, to taste. cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the liquid is syrupy. stir in the balsamic vinegar, parsley, tarragon and lemon zest. taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. whisk the remaining cold butter through to thicken the mushroom sauce.

brush the bread on both sides with the extra virgin olive oil. grill until golden on both sides, then rub both sides with a cut garlic clove and place on serving plates. top with ricotta and then mushrooms and serve immediately. serves 4.

of course, adjust recipe to whatever mushrooms, herbs, bread or even cheese is handy. i used a multigrain sourdough malingering in the freezer, and omitted the cheese altogether. mmm. fungalicious!