Jason Roberts’ budget-busting breakfast mushrooms

With fresh food prices at record highs, a Sunday stroll to your favourite local cafe for breakfast, could end up costing way more than you’d bargained for. But it’s not all doom and gloom, because there’s always a budget-busting breakfast solution at hand… as long as you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, turn up the heat and take some tips from a celebrity chef!

Last year I was invited to a live cooking demonstration by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association. It was hosted by celebrity chef Jason Roberts, whom I’d not met before but with whom I instantly connected. His passion for his produce was immediately evident as he gently cupped and nurtured a big bbq mushroom in his hands like it was a new born baby.

Mushrooms are unique because the deliciously rich umami flavour of them can take any meal from mundane to magical. Mushrooms also boast a rather impressive nutritional profile – a single 100g serve gives you more than 20 percent of your recommended daily intake of six key nutrients: B2, B3, B5, B7, copper and selenium. They also offer a good amount of folate, potassium, phosphorus and antioxidants; as Leah Bramich, General Manager of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association explains in the video below.

Mushrooms are also one of the very few foods that contain vitamin D. In fact, if they’re exposed to sunlight, they can provide 100 percent of your daily D needs. Just place your mushrooms in the sun for 15 minutes and they’ll “supercharge” with vitamin D.

In addition to the nutritional benefits this fabulous fungi offers, mushrooms also pretty cheap, meaning a budget-busting breakfast is only a wok-toss away. And thanks to chef Jason Roberts, Aussies can now recreate these two budget-busting breakfast dishes at home for under $4.

BALSAMIC MUSHROOMS ON SOURDOUGH TOAST WITH BLISTERED CHERRY TOMATOES, FETA & BASIL OIL

INGREDIENTS

200 g Australian white cup mushrooms, sliced 1cm thick

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ bunch basil, leaves only

¼ cup grapeseed oil

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

10 cherry tomatoes (1 vine cut in half)

2 slices sourdough bread

20 g feta

Extra basil leaves for garnish

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 200° and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2 To marinate the mushrooms, combine sliced mushrooms in a bowl with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir to coat then set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

3 To prepare the basil, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of iced water. Place basil leaves in the boiling water for 5-10 seconds then remove and immediately refresh in the iced water. This ensures the basil holds its colour. Squeeze as much water from the basil as possible and pat dry with absorbent paper.

4 To make the basil oil, combine the blanched basil leaves, grapeseed oil, olive oil and a good pinch of salt in a small food processor. Blitz until roughly chopped or continue to blitz until smooth. Set aside.

5 Place cherry tomatoes on the baking tray then into the oven for 5 minutes or until slightly blistered on the surface, but still firm and holding their shape.

6 To cook the mushrooms, heat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the marinated mushrooms and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes.

7 Toast the bread.

8 To serve, place the mushrooms on the toast then top with blistered cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta. Drizzle with basil oil.

MISO BUTTER MUSHROOMS & CAVOLO NERO ON TOASTED CIABATTA

INGREDIENTS

200 g Australian white cup Mushrooms sliced 1 cm

1 heaped tsp Miso softened in 2 tablespoons of water

50 g Butter

2 cloves Garlic

2 tsp Soy

4 leaves Cavolo Nero

2 thick slices of Ciabatta

3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Seasoning Salt & Pepper

METHOD

1 Slice or 1⁄4 mushrooms to a 1cm thickness.

2 Prepare the Cavolo Nero by shredding thicker stems finely with a sharp knife, and tearing leaves into smaller pieces, blanch in boiling salted water for a minute and a half .

3 Heat frying pan, add the olive oil and garlic, cook till garlic starts to lightly fry before adding the sliced mushroom and butter, sauté for a minute before adding the miso slurry, Cavolo Nero and soy sauce. Toss gently and set aside.

4 Toast the ciabatta slices brushed with olive oil.

5 To serve. Place 1 piece of toast on the plate, Spoon the mushrooms and Cavolo Nero over the toast and season with a little salt and pepper.

6 Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms.

For more recipe inspiration using mighty mushrooms head to Australianmushroomgrowers.com.au