Marinated mushrooms with walnut and tahini yogurt

This dish can work in endless contexts: with a few elegant endive leaves stirred through, it will make a substantial vegetarian main course; as it is you can put it in a Tupperware container and take it on a picnic; or offer it alongside other salads as part of a smart spring buffet. Shimeji are the clustered small mushrooms that you often get in “exotic” selections.

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

juice of 2 medium lemons

salt and black pepper

3 cups sliced button mushrooms

2 cups beech mushrooms, large base removed

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

21/2 tbsp tahini

1 small garlic clove, crushed

3 cups shelled fava beans (frozen or fresh)

2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chopped dill

1 tbsp chopped oregano

• Start by marinating the mushrooms. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, half the lemon juice, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Pour this over the mixed mushrooms in a large bowl and toss well, making sure all the mushrooms are coated. Leave them to marinate for an hour.
• While you wait, mix together in a small bowl the yogurt, tahini, garlic, remaining lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use a fork or a small whisk to whip everything together to a light paste. (You can refrigerate this sauce for up to a day.)
• Next, pour plenty of boiling water over the fava beans in a bowl and leave for a minute, then drain well and leave to cool down. Now squeeze each bean gently to remove the skin and discard it (if you don’t mind the skin you can skip this stage).
• Add the beans, walnuts and cumin to the marinated mushrooms and stir to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the mushrooms in small bowls or plates, each portion topped with a dollop of thick tahini sauce and sprinkled with herbs.

Serves 4