Autumn mushrooms and buckwheat pancakes

This evening two friends came over for dinner. We were all a part of the BASS2012 staff which was an international double bass convention held this summer in Copenhagen. Neither of them play bass or are vegan but they are great company and Melissa brought wine so that made quite a good Tuesday!

For now you'll have to do with the recipe, thoughs on economic problems will follow on Thursday.

I've wanted to copy a mushroom dish my mum made a month ago. She made it with chanterelles and that is probably the best but I think they're out of season, at least at my local grocery store. I've also wanted to make buckwheat pancakes for a while, I like their taste for savory food plus I haven't made pancakes yet on our fantastic new non-stick pans we got at the kitchen I share with 13 other people at my dorm.
People who have shared kitchens in dorms will know that unscratched pans in dorm kitchens are rare!

So anyway, here is the result! You could eat the pancakes or the mushrooms with anything, but I think they are a good match. I served them with avokado, parsley and a green salad.
 

Buckwheat pancakes

3 dl(300 ml) buckwheat flour

2 dl wheat flout

6 dl water

½ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and slowly whisk in the water (I make a hole in the center and add the water there, slowly whisking in small circles so I get a minimal amount of flour in all the time to avoid clumps). Then fry the pancakes on a good non-stick pan with as little oil as possible.

It is my experience that vegan pancakes can only be made in non-stick pans. No matter how much oil you add it just keeps sticking on regular pans.

Mushrooms in red wine

500 gr of mushrooms (I used cremini, but chanterelles are fantastic! In that case I’d skip the red wine and add a bit of sherry instead). Clean the mushrooms and chop them roughly.

1 big onion, finely chopped

1 medium sized zucchini, cut in bite size

2 dl cooked beluga lentils (about 2/3 dl uncooked)

100 gr walnuts, roughly chopped

2 dl red wine

2 bay leaves

½ tsp dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Take a big pan and sauté the onion in a bit of oil at medium heat. When they start to brown, add the zucchini, sauté until they are starting to brown, and then add the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms fry for 3-5 minutes and then add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, and simmer for 5-10 mins. Add the cooked lentils and the walnuts and simmer ‘till the taste has blended together but the zucchini and mushrooms still have some bite. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Maybe not the most inspirational picture - must improve food photo skills!