I raised a laugh when I tried to buy field blewits in a bazaar in Kazakhstan. I asked for 'violet trousers' but they're actually called 'blue legs'. I just got mixed up. In the wild, field blewits can sometimes be a bit tricky to identify but wood blewits are easy and I think they are the better of the two sorts. Like field blewits they have lavender-purple stems but the gills are also similarly coloured and the whole mushroom gives off a distinctive perfumed smell. They are found late in the season in woodlands and they are one of the few mushrooms you can still gather after frosts. Although they are one of the easiest mushrooms to gather safely, if you are new to gathering wild mushrooms you should consult a good guide-book or take someone with you who knows what they are doing. (Click here for a few more words on that).
The colour of blewits disappears on cooking but the taste remains and it goes particularly well with celery. Rarely, some people find these mushrooms difficult to digest and they can cause a bit of an upset stomach. It doesn't mean you've been poisoned. The majority should find this recipe quite agreeable.
Ingredients
4-500g of wood blewits
A large stick of celery
1 onion
A heaped dessertspoon of flour
A mug of milk
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Chop all the vegetables and fry them together in some oil. When all the water given off by the mushrooms has evaporated, add the flour and stir for a few minutes to cook it. Add the milk and keep stirring gently until it thickens and the sauce starts bubbling. If it seems too thick you can add a little more milk. Season with the salt and pepper and the dish is ready.