October is peak mushroom here in the UK. Whether you have the knowledge to forage (which is important, especially for hunting wild fungi as there are plenty of poisonous ones that look almost identical to edible varieties) or you get your mushrooms from the shops like most people do, at this time of year you should be able to get hands on some amazing mushrooms. Thanks to their firm texture and rich, earthy flavour they make an amazing substitute for meat in a lot of dishes – a favourite of mine being this mushroom stroganoff.

If you’ve got a vegan in your household then it’s really easy to turn this vegetarian dish vegan by using a vegan sour cream instead of the classic crème fraîche, or even to divide it into two pans right at the end before adding the crème fraîche and serve up both vegetarian and vegan options.

Ingredients

• 500g Mixed Mushrooms (Sliced) – White Closed Cup Are Fine, But Choose Chestnut, Portobello Or Flat For More Flavour

• 1 Onion (Chopped)

• 2 Cloves Of Garlic (Chopped)

• 4 Small Pickled Onions, Thinly Sliced

• ½ Tbsp Dijon Mustard

• ½ Tsp Paprika

• ¼ Tsp Smoked Paprika

• 200ml Vegetable Stock

• 200 Ml Crème Fraîche (Or Vegan Sour Cream If You Want To Turn This Vegetarian Dish Vegan)

• Lemon Cut Into Wedges

• Handful Of Fresh Parsley

Method

• Add A Splash Of Oil To A Heavy Pan And Gently Fry Off The Onions Over A Medium Heat For Five Minutes.

• Add The Garlic And Pickled Onions And Fry For Another Couple Of Minutes Until It’s All Softened But Not Coloured, Then Remove From The Pan To A Plate And Set Aside.

• Add Another Splash Of Oil To The Pan, Turn Up The Heat And Fry The Mushrooms Until They Are Going Golden Brown.

• Return The Onion And Garic To The Pan, Turn The Heat Down To Medium, And Stir In The Paprika And Mustard.

• Pour In The Stock, Bring It Up To A Gentle Simmer, And Leave Uncovered For Five Minutes Or So.

• Just Before Serving, Reduce The Heat And Stir In The Crème Fraîche (Or Vegan Sour Cream), And Some Chopped Parsley.

• Serve With Rice Or Potato Rosti, Sprinkled With More Chopped Parsley.