Claire Thomson's spiced mushroom shawarma

“I love this preparation for mushrooms,” says Claire Thomson, author of the fungi-focused cookbook ‘Mushroom’. “The spiced-yogurt coated field mushrooms are grilled, then sliced, turning extra juicy as they cook and blister under a fierce heat. With the mushrooms cooked, you can then slice and stuff them, and some of their cooking juices, into warm flatbreads. As is the way with so many of my favourite recipes, the condiments here are king, so don’t stint on them. Make the yogurt sauce, chop the salad, source some good pomegranate molasses. Likewise, some Baharat spice blend is ideal here for assertive sprinkling at the table to eat. Fresh chilli or pickled chillies are both excellent additions, too, and as ever, a good slick of nice extra virgin olive oil is great here.”

For the mushrooms

6 large flat mushrooms, stems removed and skin peeled (to help with marinating)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
150g (51⁄2oz) Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil finely grated zest and juice of
1/2 unwaxed lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
300g (101/2oz) tomatoes, finely chopped
a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
chopped fresh red chilli or pickled
green chilli, finely sliced, to taste
1 lemon, half juiced, half cut into wedges

To serve

4 soft flatbreads
1 red onion, finely diced
100g (31/2oz) Greek yogurt, seasoned with a pinch of salt and 1 small garlic clove, grated
A big pinch of Baharat spice blend, to taste
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
a big pinch of sumac, to taste
1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes, Turkish if possible, to taste

Servings

Method

1 Preheat the grill (broiler) to hot.

2 Mix the mushrooms with the onion, garlic, ground spices, yogurt, olive oil and lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper. Lay everything in a roasting tray in a single layer.

3 Grill (broil) the mushrooms for about 15 minutes until the liquid almost cooks away and the mushrooms and onion are tender, and yogurt curds have begun to caramelise. You can stir midway through the cooking time, if you like, but be sure to get some good colour to the mushrooms.

4 Meanwhile, combine all the salad ingredients with the juice of 1⁄2 the lemon and a big pinch of salt and put to one side.

5 Slice the grilled mushrooms, warm the flatbreads in a dry pan, then arrange the mushrooms in the flatbreads along with some of the cooking juices and onion, chopped salad and seasoned yogurt, with a pinch of Baharat spice, a slick of pomegranate molasses, some sumac and chilli flakes. Serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.