Mushroom recipes to make your day

14th October 2021 | Eativity editors

Tomorrow is National Mushroom Day, a day to shine the spotlight on the mighty mushroom. It’s also the perfect time to start giving the ‘shroom more room on your plate. To mark the day, and to give the humble mushroom the respect it deserves, try one of the simple, tasty and nutritious mushroom recipes we’ve shared below for dinner tomorrow night.

This fabulous fruit of fungi goes brilliantly in pies, tarts, dumplings, stir fries, burgers and curries. The meaty, umami flavours of mushies also make them the ideal meat substitute. But it’s the health benefits of mushrooms that really make this simple food stand out from the rest, and more research findings are cropping up all the time. Just like that patch of mushrooms that sometimes appears in your yard overnight, as if by magic.

Mushroom health benefits
Nature’s marvel: mushrooms’ benefits extend far beyond the nutritional.

Did you know that if you put store-bought mushrooms in direct sunlight for 15 minutes, the mushrooms will react with the sunlight to create vitamin D? These enhanced D levels store in the mushroom for up to a week and are mostly retained during cooking. “Tanning” just one 100g serve like this will provide 100 percent of your daily vitamin D requirements.

Research has also found that mushies contain bioactive nutrients and antioxidants that help support the immune system. And for those watching your cholesterol, a daily serve of mushrooms could be just what you need. They contain twice the beta glucan of oats. Beta glucan is a soluble fibre that’s been shown to help reduce “bad” cholesterol levels.

Mushrooms also rich in a prebiotic known as chitin. This is found in the fibrous structure in the cell walls. To get the most chitin out of your mushies, pour a little water into a pan and bring to a boil. Throw in your mushrooms, then reduce the water before you sauté them.

Check out the recipes below, and for even more mushroom recipes, head to australianmushrooms.com.au. For more on National Mushroom Day, click here.

Mushroom recipes: roasted cauliflower steaks with mushroom sauce

Roasted cauliflower steaks with mushroom sauce

Recipe courtesy of Australian Mushrooms
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes

You’ll need:

2 heads cauliflower
30g butter
⅓ cup olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
200g cup mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ cups beef stock (or use vegetable stock if you want to keep it meat-free)
⅔ cup thickened cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Turn the cauliflower upside down with the stalk facing up. Carefully cut through the stalk at one end, then slice 2 large steaks out of the cauliflower head, about 2cm thick. Slice any larger florets into steaks.
2. In 2 batches, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook the steaks for 5 minutes, turning, until golden.
3. Transfer to a large tray lined with baking paper with any remaining florets. Roast the steaks in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, heat the butter and remaining oil together in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft.
5. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Sprinkle over flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
6. Add stock, stirring constantly. Bring to boil. Simmer uncovered over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard.
7. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for a further 8-10 minutes or until thickened slightly. Stir in parsley and season to taste.
8. Serve the cauliflower with the mushroom sauce.

Mushroom recipes: Swiss brown mushroom, leek and pea risotto

Swiss brown mushroom, leek and pea risotto

Recipe courtesy of Australian Mushrooms
Serves 4
Cooking time 35 minutes

You’ll need:

200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, thinly diced
1 medium leek, thinly sliced
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups good quality chicken stock
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup pecorino cheese, grated
Pinch fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, to serve
Extra freshly grated pecorino cheese, to serve

Method:

1. Add the chicken stock to a medium size pan and place it on medium heat to warm up.
2. Sauté garlic and shallots with a drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy-based pan with high sides on medium heat. Sauté until the shallots start to become transparent.
3. Add the thinly sliced leek and stir through. Once the leeks have sweated down, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a further 3-5 minutes.
4. Pour in the wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half.
5. Add the rice and stir through. Pour in warmed chicken stock a ladle at a time, stirring in between, until all stock has been completely absorbed or once the rice is al dente.
6. Add the peas and stir through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated pecorino cheese and a good pinch of freshly cracked pepper.
7. Serve by dividing between 4 bowls, topping with extra pecorino and chopped parsley.