Hearty mushroom pan with tarragon

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 400 g mushrooms, brown
• 50 g diced ham
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 60 ml red wine
• 100 ml water
• 30 g butter
• 60 g herb cream cheese
• 1 tbsp, heaped tarragon, dried
• 2 tsp. paprika powder, smoked
• 1 pinch(s) of cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp chives for garnishing
• n. B. Pfeffer

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Peel the shallots and finely dice. Peel the garlic and finely chop or press it. Clean the mushrooms and either quarter them or slice them. If you want even slices without much work, use an egg slicer. Sauté the mushrooms in a pan without adding any fat. Don’t overcrowd the pan; add just enough mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan. Sauté in batches. This allows the water in the mushrooms to evaporate and ensures that the mushrooms don’t cook in their own water instead of frying. Once the mushrooms are fried, add the butter and heat until hot. Then add the shallots, garlic, diced ham, smoked paprika, and tomato paste and sauté everything briefly. Deglaze with soy sauce and red wine. Add the tarragon and let it reduce for about 3 minutes. Stir in the herb cream cheese and let it melt completely while stirring. Add just enough water to make the mushroom sauce creamy and not runny. Season with cayenne pepper and pepper. There should already be enough salt from the soy sauce, the ham, and the herb cream cheese. Finally, garnish the mushrooms with chives. You can serve the mushrooms either on freshly toasted bread, then top with the mushrooms, or serve them on pork fillet, chicken breast, or even schnitzel.