2leavesof chicken of the woodsas young as possible, any tough stem removed
3tablespoonscooking oil
¼cupdry white wine
½cupchickenvegetable, or mushrooms stock, preferably homemade
Fresh lemon juiceto taste
¼teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
1Tablespoonnon-pareil capers in brine
1Tablespooneach all purpose flour and unsalted butter for the kneaded roux
Thin slices of proscuittofor wrapping the mushrooms (optional)
Fresh cut chives or parsleya pinch, (optional)
For servingwilted greens, wood sorrel and sprigs of purslane (optional)
Instructions
Mix the tablespoon each of flour and butter well into a ball, and reserve one teaspoon (you'll only need a teaspoon but it's hard to make just a teaspoon) Heat the oil in a saute pan wide enough to accommodate the mushrooms.
Wrap the mushrooms in the prosciutto, making sure to press the seam to make it adhere, then dredge in flour, tap off excess, and brown well in the oil on both sides, starting with the seam.
Season the mushrooms lightly with salt and pepper. It's very important not to burn the flour that comes off in the pan, as that is what will make your sauce.
Remove the cooked mushrooms from the pan and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with the wine, reduce by half, and add the chicken stock and kneaded roux. Heat, whisking to break up the roux.
The sauce will start to thicken, season it with salt to taste, lemon juice and capers.
From here as long as the mushrooms are completely cooked, and to keep the prosciutto crisp, you can plate them and pass the sauce separately, or, you can put the mushrooms back in the pan simmer for a moment and serve--both ways are fine.
If the sauce thickens or threatens to break, adjust it by adding a little water to return it to a saucy consistency, swirl the pan to emulsify, and simmer until you like the consistency/thickness.
Notes
This is best with chicken of the woods mushrooms, but you can also use mushrooms that have large caps, such as shaggy parasols or meadow mushrooms.