Mushrooms, what a passion! They are the most common living beings on the planet and are used for healing and nourishment. Sometimes, even for death.
While very few varieties of mushrooms are found in stores today, their diversity is incredible. In the East, the most common are the "shiitake" mushrooms, whose name derives from the Japanese words "shii" (oak) and "take" (mushroom), because they grow naturally on oak trunks.
It is said that their intensive cultivation in Japan began in 199 AD, when a tribe offered them to Emperor Chuai. The emperor was delighted and ordered their cultivation throughout his court, which then spread to China during the Song Dynasty and Asia.
Paprika, on the other hand, is a spice obtained from ground dried peppers and appears to have been brought to Europe by the Hungarians, but its origins are believed to be India. Paprika is one of Hungary's symbols, having its own holiday on September 8th, during harvest time.
Hungary, Japan, and Ciociaria (where the chickpeas I used come from) come together in this fusion recipe.
Recipe of Chickpea Cream with Smoked Paprika and Shiitake Mushrooms
We begin by soaking the chickpeas the night before, then cook them in water flavored with bay leaves. After boiling the chickpeas, prepare a base with garlic and oil in a pan. Once the garlic is golden, remove it and add the chickpeas. Let them cook, then add vegetable broth or hot water, adding smoked paprika.
Let it cook, and after about 20 minutes, blend the chickpeas to obtain a cream. We'll then cook some pasta in it.
Separately, we clean the shiitake mushrooms, slice them, discarding the tough, stringy stems, and cook them in a pan with garlic, oil, and finely chopped rosemary.
We assemble the dish by adding the chickpea cream, the shiitake mushrooms, and a drizzle of olive oil—I used a new olive oil from Viterbo—a sprinkle of pepper, and it's ready.
In the glass, we're going with a 2022 Nebbiolo from Piedmont.
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