Ingredients
1½ pounds wild mushrooms, ideally fresh porcini or morels
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup vegetable stock
few drops white vinegar
12 quail eggs
6 slices Tuscan country bread, toasted
Preparation
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp towel. Remove and discard the stems and slice the caps ¼ inch thick. (If using porcini, keep the stems; peel them with a paring knife and remove any spoiled part, then slice them to the same size as the caps.)
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stir, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable stock, give the mixture a good stir, and cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture is fairly dry but still a bit moist.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add a few drops of white vinegar. One by one, crack the quail eggs into a tablespoon and lower them into the water. Let them poach for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and gather them on a plate.
Arrange the warm croutons on a platter. Spoon some acquacotta (mushroom-tomato mixture) over each one and place 2 quail eggs on each. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Serve at once.
VINO A full-bodied Australian Shiraz is a big, bold match for the rich quail egg in this recipe.
