Butter-fried saffron milk caps with garlic and parsley

Remove sand and pine needles from correctly identified edible saffron milk caps, cut off the stems and weigh out 600 g of cleaned caps. If needed, briefly rinse any dirt from between the gills with cold water, without soaking, then dry very thoroughly with kitchen paper. Leave small caps whole and halve larger ones so the pieces are similar in size. Thinly slice the garlic and finely chop the parsley.

In a wide frying pan about 28 cm across, melt half of the 40 g butter reserved for frying over a medium heat. When it starts to foam, add half the mushrooms in a single layer, gills facing up, leaving gaps between them. Fry for 4–5 minutes, then turn and fry for another 3–4 minutes, until the caps are tender with browned edges and excess juices have evaporated. If the butter darkens quickly, reduce the heat; transfer the cooked batch to a plate with its buttery juices.

Melt the remaining frying butter in the same pan and add the rest of the mushrooms. Fry in the same way for 4–5 minutes on the first side and 3–4 minutes on the other. Do not cover the pan; if liquid appears, let it evaporate before removing the mushrooms. Transfer them to the first batch and leave the pan over a low heat.

Melt the reserved 20 g butter in the pan, add the garlic and heat gently over a low heat for about a minute, just until fragrant, without browning. Return all the mushrooms with the juices from the plate, add the salt and pepper and mix gently. Heat for 1–2 minutes until everything is hot, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

Divide the mushrooms into four portions, spooning over the buttery sauce from the pan. Serve straight away as a starter or side dish while the caps are still firm and hot.