Pilze in Sahnesosse

Classic Swiss geschnetzeltes often includes mushrooms with the veal. These pilze in sahnesosse (mushrooms in cream sauce) are like a vegetarian geschnetzeltes, with the mushrooms as the star attraction. I use wild slippery jacks or pine mushrooms when they’re available, otherwise adding dried porcini, chanterelles or morels to cultivated mushrooms works well too. Swiss cuisine doesn’t offer a great range of vegetarian dishes, but one that appears on most menus is rösti with a creamy mushroom sauce just like this pilze in sahnesosse; see video below for a step-by-step guide to making rösti. For a deliciously different wine match, try a glass of Sabi Wabi Sugi semillon from the Hunter Valley – a lightly-skinsy, creamy mouth-filling drop with hints of honeysuckle and fennel.

Serves 2

Ingredients

20g dried porcini, chanterelles or morels (¾oz)
30g butter (1g)
½ brown onion, finely chopped
150g button mushrooms, finely sliced (5oz)
1 teaspoon plain flour
½ cup dry white wine (125ml)
¼ cup single cream (60ml)
½ lemon
Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely sliced parsley leaves
Rösti (see video below), spätzli, or noodles, for serving

Method

Soak porcini in 1 cup (250ml) warm water for at least 30 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add onion and a good pinch of salt, stir to combine well, cover and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to colour.
Add remaining butter and button mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well softened.
Meanwhile, drain porcini, squeezing them over the bowl to remove excess moisture. Chop porcini roughly and set aside; set soaking liquid aside too.
Add flour to the pan and stir for 2 minutes.
Add wine and mushroom soaking liquid (leaving any sediment behind), increase heat to high, stir well to remove any bits stuck to the bottom or sides of the pan; stir until it returns to the boil.
Add porcini and continue boiling for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about half.
Reduce heat to low, grate in a little lemon zest, add cream, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and add salt if needed.
Return to the boil, stirring until it’s all just heated through.
Stir in parsley.
Serve pilze in sahnesosse with rösti, spätzli or noodles.

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How To Make Rösti

FAQ

What is geschnetzeltes?

Geschnetzeltes is a classic Swiss dish of thinly sliced veal in a creamy sauce, most famously associated with Zurich (Zürcher geschnetzeltes). It typically includes mushrooms alongside the veal. Pilze in sahnesosse — mushrooms in cream sauce — is essentially a vegetarian geschnetzeltes, with mushrooms as the star attraction in place of the veal.

Can you make vegetarian geschnetzeltes?

While classic Swiss geschnetzeltes is made with veal, mushrooms are a great vegetarian alternative. Mushrooms (pilze in German) are often called ‘meat for vegetarians’ because of their umami-rich flavour and firm texture and this mushrooms in cream sauce dish is a great vegetarian geschnetzeltes recipe.

What mushrooms are best for pilze in sahnesosse?

Wild slippery jacks or pine mushrooms are ideal when they’re in season. Otherwise, adding dried porcini, chanterelles or morels to cultivated button mushrooms works beautifully — the dried mushrooms add depth of flavour and their soaking liquid becomes part of the sauce.

What is the difference between Sahnesosse, Sahnesauce and cream sauce?

None — they’re the same thing. Sahnesosse (Swiss) and Sahnesauce (German) are simply regional spelling variants of the German word for cream sauce. You may also see this dish spelled pilze in sahnesauce rather than pilze in sahnesosse.

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