I’m kicking off my first recipe post on Nicole’s Kitchen Diary with these delicious mushroom toasts. I was lucky enough to salvage this recipe from my old blog, all thanks to my friend Joe who pointed me to a website that periodically scans and takes snap shots of sites. Lucky for you guys, because it’s one of my favorites and would make the perfect Valentine’s Day starter. Roasted bone marrow spooned over garlicky mushrooms and salty jewels of bacon and perfumed woody thyme… what’s not to love?

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of the best kitchen books you could own, The Flavour Thesaurus. It’s always on hand in my kitchen. If you’re a foodie and you’ve not heard of it or read it, I urge you to order a copy. As the title suggests, the book is set out like a thesaurus and is a bible of parings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook.

 Ingredients

• 250g mushrooms (I used Chestnut and Shiitake), roughly chopped
• 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
• Splash of white wine
• 2 disks of femur bone (bone marrow) – ask your butcher for this
• 4 thick slices of sourdough bread
• 1 tbsp each of butter and olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Turn the oven on to the highest temperature and pop in the bone marrow (in a roasting tin). It will take about 35-40 minutes.
2. When the marrow has only 10 minutes from being done heat the butter and olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, garlic and thyme, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Then add a splash of wine and allow to cook until reduced. Season to taste.
5. Pop the slices of sourdough bread under the grill. Remove when lightly toasted and whilst still hot rub them with a garlic clove.
6. Remove the bone marrow from the oven and carefully spoon out the soft marrow from the middle – stir this through the mushroom mix.
7. Pile the mushroom mix on to the toasts and garnish with a little fresh thyme.
8. Serve immediately.