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Gia's Mushrooms and Egg

By Olia Hercules
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Photo by Elena Heatherwick

It was in the town of Signagi in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti where I tried some of the most delicious and inventive, without being contrived, cooking. "Good food doesn’t have to be complicated, overworked," remarked Gia, head chef at an incredibly beautiful restaurant called Pheasant’s Tears. And I agree with him wholeheartedly. With a few wonderful ingredients, knowledge of tradition, and a creative mind like Gia's, Georgian cooking is taken to another level. This dish is so simple, but I would award it and the others that we tasted numerous stars and accolades. Just find excellent mushrooms, really good eggs, some aromatics, and a tiny bit of spice, and you have a beauty of a dish.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 2 as a sharing starter

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 field mushrooms, brushed clean
7 oz (200 g) wild mushrooms, such as black trumpet mushrooms or chanterelles, brushed clean
1 egg
1 green chile, thinly sliced (keep the seeds if you like heat)
A few sprigs of rosemary in winter or tarragon in summer
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

    Step 2

    Heat the butter and oil in an ovenproof dish in the oven, or in an ovenproof frying pan on the stove top. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for a moment, just enough to release its aroma, then add all the mushrooms and spoon the sizzling fat over to cover them. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, or cook on the stove top over medium-low heat, shaking from time to time, until the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Crack the egg into the middle of the dish or pan and sprinkle with the chile, herbs, and some salt and pepper. Cook in the oven until the whites are set and the yolk is cooked to your liking, 5–10 minutes.

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This recipe is excerpted from Kaukasis: A Culinary Journey through Georgia, Azerbaijan & Beyond © 2017 by Olia Hercules. Reprinted with permission by Weldon Owen. Buy the full book from Amazon.
TagsGeorgianEastern EuropeanEuropeanMushroomVegetableMainLunchDinnerGluten FreeNut FreeVegetarianKetoEasyQuick30 Minutes or LessWeeknight MealsCookbooks

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