Gratinée of ‘esclatasangs’ (wild mushrooms)from the Mountains of Alicante

Gratinée of ‘esclatasangs’ (wild mushrooms)from the Mountains of Alicante

If it rains in August, it’s a blessing.  It seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? In August, what we want is for it to be hot to be able to enjoy the sea and the mountains. Sea and mountains which we are very fortunate to have very close by.

But no.  It’s not a contradicition.  When it rains in August, we’ll be able to collect fantastic examples of ’esclatasangs’  in autumn in and around  the Font Roja and Serra Mariola natural parks.

 ‘Esclatsangs’ are a real delicatessen.  What  flavour!! And how satisfying it is to be able to walk in these areas and pick them!!  Always with the due care and respect so as not to damage their possibilities of reproduction.

What are ‘esclatasangs’?  Well, they’re wild mushrooms.  It’s the name which we give them in our areas in the interior of the province of Alicante. You can also hear them called ‘rovellons’.

By the way, if we translate the word ‘esclatasangs’ into Spanish, what we get is something similar to ‘explosion of blood’. We promise to investigate the meaning.  Now it’s time to present our recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 500 gr ‘esclatasangs’
  • 1 big sweet potato
  • 100 gr serrano ham
  • Garlic powder
  • A pinch of rosemary
  • A pinch of thyme
  • Pepper
  • Salt
  • Extra virgen olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 350 ml cream for cooking
  • 125 ml milk
  • Cheese for grating

Preparation

  1. Crush the garlic and heat with the cream and milk.
  2. Add a little salt and pepper. When it comes to the boil, turn off the gas. Leave it to sit.
  3. Now is the moment to wash the ‘esclatasangs’ very well. With a lot of water.  Remember that it’s a product that you’ve picked from the earth and they can have a lot of soil on them.
  4. Once the ‘esclatasangs’ are clean, fry them on a high gas being careful to always do it with the best extra virgin olive oil. Whilst they’re frying,  don’t forget to add the thyme and rosemary. To  your taste.
  5. Immediately add the ham which you’ve previously cut up. Turning it over quickly on the heat is more than sufficient.
  6. Now, mix the ‘esclatasangs’ and ham with the cream in the saucepan so that all of the flavours of the ingredients come together.
  7. Cut up the sweet potato finely (you can also use potato)
  8. Take a glass dish. Now it’s time to start making layers. The top one should be the sweet potato.
  9. Add a dash of extra virgin olive oil.
  10. Put it into the oven at 180º and wait for about 40 minutes.
  11. After 40 minutes, top with grated cheese and brown.
  12. That’s it ready. Serve it as you wish.

We’ve already said that ‘esclatasangs’ are a delicatessen.  To enhance their flavour, don’t hesitate to use the best extra virgin olive oil. If these ‘esclatasangs’ are collected in the mountains, what better than to use our extra virgin olive oil also produced in the Mountains of Alicante?

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