Mushroom stew: A hearty delight for every dinner table

Nothing warms you up on cold days like an aromatic mushroom stew. This one-pot dish delights the palate and satisfies your hunger for hours. Thanks to its simplicity and exceptional taste, it's ideal for any occasion – from a family dinner to gatherings with friends. Moreover, the absence of meat does not make the dish any less filling. A well-prepared mushroom stew often wins over even the most dedicated meat enthusiasts.

Mushroom stew is the perfect solution for serving something delicious yet easy to prepare. Its great advantage is its versatility—you can serve it with your preferred sides, such as potatoes, rice, pasta, or grains. Served with buckwheat or pearl barley, the stew tastes superb, creating a nutritious meal bursting with aromas.

Although forest mushrooms such as porcini or boletus are most commonly used for stew preparation, cultivated varieties like button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms also work. You can also combine several types of mushrooms to create a more complex flavour.

Ingredients:

• 350g of mushrooms (e.g., porcini, boletus, button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms),
• 1 onion,
• 1 carrot,
• 1 parsley root,
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil,
• 600ml of vegetable stock,
• 1 tablespoon of potato starch,
• 1/2 cup of water,
• 1 tablespoon of mustard,
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika,
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin,
• 2 teaspoons of dried garlic,
• 1 tablespoon of dried marjoram,
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into strips. Dice the onion, carrot, and parsley root.
2. Sauté the onion in heated olive oil. Add the carrot, parsley, and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables soften.
3. Add the stock, spices, and mustard, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Mix the potato starch with water in a bowl and add it to the stew. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
5. Serve the finished stew with your favourite side, like buckwheat, potatoes, or rice.

Mushroom stew is a dish that combines ease of preparation with extraordinary taste. By using forest mushrooms, button mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms, you can enjoy its aroma throughout the year. Served with grains, potatoes, or your favourite bread, it will become a centrepiece of any table. If prepared for a party, you can be confident it will quickly vanish from the plates, gaining guests' appreciation.