Children (and grownups) will love these fun mushroom dishes

THE South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association’s new child-friendly recipes will have everyone leaving the dinner table happy, healthy and satisfied without feeling bloated. Plus, they are quick and easy to make: exactly what we want to hear when racking our brains to find the best option for a busy weeknight dinner when the little ones don’t want to eat their veggies.

BEEF, BEAN & MUSHROOM SLIDERS WITH HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE

Makes ± 12-15 sliders, depending on size

Ingredients

Patties:

• 1 x 400g tin black beans, rinsed, drained and lightly mashed
• 250g portabellini mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 500g beef mince
• 50g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Homemade tomato sauce:

• 1 x 400g tin tomato purée
• 40g brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½  tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp celery salt

To serve:

• 12-15 white slider buns / mini burger buns (Many bakeries also call these cocktail buns) 
• Mayonnaise
• Lettuce leaves
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced red onion
• Olive oil, for cooking
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

To make the tomato sauce:

• Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir gently until everything comes to a light simmer.
• Cover and reduce heat to low.
• Simmer for 15 minutes for the flavours to develop.
• Taste to adjust seasoning.
• Cool.

For the patties:

• Preheat a braai to medium high heat.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan.
• Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown.
• Add the onion and a pinch of salt.
• Cook until tender, golden and lightly caramelised.
• Place in a large bowl.
• To the bowl add the black beans, beef, breadcrumbs and parsley.
• Season well with salt and pepper.
• Mix thoroughly until very well combined.
• Shape mixture into patties.

It is a good idea to check the size of your slider buns and make your patties are just larger than the buns as they will shrink during cooking.

• Brush patties all over with olive oil and braai until golden brown on both sides.
• You can also bake them in the oven or cook them on the stovetop.
• Allow the patties to rest.
• Build sliders with your favourite burger toppings.
• Add a generous dollop of homemade tomato sauce to each slider and tuck in.

CHEESY MUSHROOM MACARONI

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 500g portabello mushrooms
• 350g macaroni or similar short pasta 
• 500g medium fat cream cheese
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated 
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, minced
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated 
• 3 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Fresh basil leaves, for serving 
• 28 x 18 cm baking dish

Method

• Preheat oven to 200˚C, fan on.
• Place portabellos on a large baking tray, season with salt and pepper. 
• Roast in the middle of the oven for ±7 minutes until tender and juicy. 
• Allow mushrooms to rest, drain off their liquid and slice into large chunks.
• In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente.
• Using a jug, scoop out a generous cup of pasta cooking water and set aside.
• Drain the macaroni.
• While the macaroni is cooking, place cream cheese, cheddar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and nutmeg in a large saucepan. 
• Switch heat onto very low and allow everything to melt together. 
• When the cream cheese is almost melted, pour in a little pasta water, mixing well until you achieve a smooth silky sauce. 
• Add the drained macaroni and the fresh chives, stir to combine. 
• Keep adding a little extra pasta water to keep things saucy. 
• Finally fold in the large chunks of roasted mushrooms.
• Taste to adjust seasoning. 
• Scoop mixture into a baking dish and top with remaining cheddar and breadcrumbs. 
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 – 15 min until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
• Scoop into bowls, top with some fresh basil and enjoy! 

BEEF & MUSHROOM STEW WITH MINI DUMPLINGS

Serves 6

Ingredients

Stew:

• ± 1.2 kg stewing beef
• 50g flour
• 2 leeks, washed & sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1L beef stock
• 4 shallots, peeled & halved
• 500g white button mushrooms, quartered 

Dumplings:

• 100g self raising flour
• 50g butter, cold and cubed
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• ± 60ml cold water
• Olive oil, for cooking
• Salt and pepper, to taste 

Method

For the stew:

• Preheat oven to 160˚C.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over a medium heat. 
• Place the beef in a bowl, toss with the flour and season well with salt and pepper. 
• Add the seasoned meat to the hot oil and brown all over.
• Remove and set aside. 
• Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pot.
• Add the leeks, carrots, celery and herbs. Sauté. 
• Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. 
• Add the balsamic and stock, making sure to scrape any stuck brown bits off the bottom of the pot. 
• Return the browned beef to the pot along with the shallots. 
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours until the meat is fall apart tender.

When the stew is almost done cooking, make the dumplings:

• Place the flour, butter and salt into a bowl. 
• Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the chopped parsley and mix well. 
• Add 2-3 Tbsp water at a time and knead into a soft dough. 
• Shape the dough into small balls. 
• Remove stew from the oven.
• Turn heat up to 180˚C, with the fan on.
• Stir the mushrooms into the stew.
• Cover the surface of the stew with the little dumplings, spacing them evenly all over.
• Cover with the pot lid and return to the oven for 15 minutes. 
• Carefully remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes until the dumplings are golden. 
• Scoop the stew into bowls, dividing up the dumplings and serve.

 VEGGIE LOADED SPAGHETTI CAKE 

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 320g spaghetti
• 250g brown mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled & diced
• 200g baby spinach
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 250ml cream
• 150ml milk
• 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated
• Olive oil, for cooking
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Grated parmesan, for serving 

Method

• Preheat oven to 180˚C.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Cook the spaghetti until it is just shy of al dente.
• Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
• Set aside.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan. 
• Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown. 
• Remove from the pan and set aside. 
• Add a fresh glug of oil and cook the onion and carrot until tender. Add the baby spinach and switch off the heat, just letting it wilt.
• In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream, milk, eggs and cheese. 
• Season well with salt and pepper. 
• Add all the veggies and the spaghetti to the cream mixture and toss to combine.
• Mix well so the veg is evenly distributed throughout the spaghetti. 
• Transfer mixture to a baking dish.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and the filling has just set. 
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. 
• Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan. 
• Slice into chunky wedges and serve with a green side salad.