Quail with girolle mushrooms and spinach

Serves 4

(LISA BARBER)

I love this combination of spinach and girolle mushrooms – it is suave and elegant. I also serve it alongside pigeon – in fact it is a perfect accompaniment to any not-too-strongly flavoured game.

500g/1lb young spinach leaves
2 tbsp unsalted butter
500g/1lb girolles, well cleaned
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
A few drops of lemon juice
Handful of parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Start by cooking the spinach. Rinse the leaves well under cold running water, then place a generous sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the spinach, in batches if needed, and cook until it has just wilted. Remove to a colander to drain while you cook the girolles, but before adding the spinach to the mushrooms, do squeeze out as much excess water as you can.

Warm the butter in a medium, preferably non-stick, frying pan over a medium heat. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring once or twice. Now add the garlic, lemon juice and parsley, season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper, and stir in the cooked spinach to warm through. Spoon alongside the roasted quail.