Early autumn slips quietly past late summer, announcing itself by the appearance of baskets of chanterelle mushrooms arranged on marketplace tables. The chanterelle is decidedly my favorite mushroom, not only for its golden color, but for its graceful shape and velvet texture. Its bright citrus-like flavor blends well with the earthy portobello in an almost effortless salad.

Ingredients

• two large portobello mushrooms
• 75-100 grams fresh golden chanterelle mushrooms
• 75 grams extra virgin olive oil
• four sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• one organic lemon
• Himalayan pink salt or sea salt

Clean the chanterelle mushrooms by brushing them off with a damp cloth to remove any dirt or leaves. Trim away any darkened parts of the mushroom stems with a vegetable paring knife. Gently tear any large mushrooms with your fingers leaving the small mushrooms whole.

Squeeze the juice of a half of a lemon over the raw chanterelle, sprinkling them with a bit of salt. Wash the parsley, chopping the leaves as well as the stems of two sprigs, saving the other two for decorating the plate.

Meanwhile place a grill pan on high heat on the gas burner. Cut the portobello mushroom caps into thick slices, brushing them with the smallest amount of extra virgin olive oil. Grill the portobello a few minutes on each side, until they  are nicely browned.

Drain the chanterelle mushrooms in a sieve. Arrange the grilled portobello on a platter and scatter the marinated chanterelle over the top, followed by the chopped flat leaf parsley. Dress the salad with the second lemon half, cracked white pepper, crushed Himalayan salt and a generous helping of extra virgin olive oil. Serve the salad with a small bowl of olive oil for dipping. Serve the salad with freshly baked spelt bread.

The mushroom salad pairs well with raw and roughly torn wild spinach leaves.

♦  Suggested combinations
Serve the salad with slivers of fresh garlic. Add a few anchovy filets for a robust effect. Toss a handful mache lettuce over the salad for more crunch and color. 

♦  Notes
Make a warm mushroom salad by simply sautéing the chanterelle in a few drops of olive oil on high heat for a few minutes. Serve the warm chanterelle over the grilled portobello slices, dressing the salad with a freshly squeezed lemon half  and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.