Mushrooms in Sage and Cider Cream with Potato Cakes

3 1/2 ounces basmati, brown basmati, or wild rice

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes or similar, peeled and quartered

7 ounces parsnips, peeled and grated

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to season

14 ounces mushrooms, sliced thickly

4 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

8 sage leaves

3/4 cup cider

1 1/2 cups cream

Spinach

Cook the rice at a simmer in boiling water until it has softened, then drain.  Steam the potatoes until just done, then chop them with a knife into a coarse mash.  Add the parsnips to the potato with the rice, thyme, parsley or chives, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir gently to combine everything without breaking the potato any more.

Place four metal rings, 3 1/2 inches in diameter and an inch high, in a wide frying pan.  Brush them and the pan with oil and set the pan over a low heat.  Pack the rings with the potato mix to begin cooking gently.  After about five minutes, flip the cakes to cook on the other side.  You may need to flip them a few more times, and to shuffle the cakes around on the pan, to cook them evenly.  They should cook all the way through and become crisp and lightly browned on the outsides.

While the cakes are cooking, melt the butter in a wide pan, turn the heat to high, and toss in the mushrooms and garlic.  Cook, stirring over high heat, until the mushrooms begin to color, adding more butter if they seem too dry.  Add the sage leaves to the pan with the cider, and boil it on high for two minutes, then pour in the cream.  Bring it back to a boil and simmer for one minute.  Wilt the spinach, and serve in a little pile under the potato cake and mushroom cream.

Serves 4.

From Café Paradiso Seasons by Denis Cotter