The marvellous versatility of mushrooms

MUSHROOMS are astonishing in their versatility as you’ll see from this small selection of recipes from the SA Mushroom Farmers’ Association. Bake them, put them in a warm salad or a casserole – and this is just a tiny titbit of what you can do with this remarkable vegetable. Click here for more fabulous ideas.

ROASTED MUSHROOM, FENNEL & GRAPE SALAD

 Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 medium fennel bulbs
• 500g pink grapes, seedless 
• 500g white button mushrooms, sliced in half 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard 
• 300g mixed leaf lettuce of choice 
• Handful Italian parsley leaves 
• Handful fennel fronds, for garnish 
• Salt and crushed pink peppercorns, to taste
• Olive oil, for cooking 

Method

• Preheat oven to 200˚C, fan on.
• Slice the fennel bulbs into chunky thick slices. 
• Arrange the slices on a large baking tray in a single layer.
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the fennel and season well with salt and pepper. 
•  Roast for about 25 minutes until the fennel is very tender and golden.
• Remove the fennel from the baking tray and keep at room temperature. (If your oven is large enough you can roast all veg simultaneously)
• Using scissors, slice grapes into small bunches.
• Add the grapes to the baking tray and season with a little salt and pepper. 
• Bake for 10 minutes until just blistering.
• Toss mushrooms in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. 
• Season lightly and mix well. 
• Add the mushrooms to the roasting tray of grapes and continue to roast together until the mushrooms are tender and the grapes are soft and juicy, about 7 minutes.
• Allow mushrooms and grapes to cool slightly to avoid making the lettuce wilt. 
• To serve, combine lettuce and parsley on a serving platter. 
• Tuck the roasted fennel amongst the leaves. 
• Dot the roasted grapes in little bunches all over the salad and finish with the mushrooms. 
• Drizzle over a little of the roasting juices as a dressing. 
• Garnish with pink peppercorns and fennel fronds and serve warm. 

BAKED MUSHROOM BROWN RICE

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 ½ cups long grain brown rice
• 2 ½ cups water, boiled
• 1 tsp salt
• 500g mixed cultivated mushrooms, sliced into similar sized big chunks
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs 
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Micro herbs, to serve 
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

• Preheat oven to 180˚C.
• Heat the olive oil in a 26cm saucepan with a lid/buffet casserole. 
• Add the onion and cook until soft. 
• Add the rice and coat in the onion and olive oil. 
• Pour the boiling water into the dish and sprinkle over the teaspoon of salt. 
• Stir briefly just to mix and then cover tightly with aluminium foil. 
• Place the pan lid on top to ensure the seal is tight. 
• Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.
• While the rice is baking combine the mushrooms in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, soy, balsamic and thyme. Season lightly and mix well. 
• After 50 minutes, remove the lid and foil from the rice.
• Fluff the rice with a fork. 
• Spoon the mushrooms on top of the rice and turn oven up to 200˚C.
• Bake mushrooms on top of the  rice for 10-15 minutes until mushrooms are tender and juicy. 
• Zest the lemon over the entire dish and squeeze over some lemon juice. 
• Top with micro herbs and serve family style in the pan on the table, with lemon wedges on the side.

DAIRY FREE CREAMY CHICKEN & MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 free-range chicken breasts
• 250g portabellini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp ground almonds/almond flour 
• 4 Tbsp nut butter, eg cashew or almond
• 175ml almond or oat milk, warm
• 375ml chicken stock, just boiled 
• 1 tsp dried herbs
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale/cavolo nero 
• 100g sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Olive oil, for cooking 

Method

• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large buffet casserole / saucepan. 
• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and then sear until golden brown all over. 
• Remove from the pan and set aside. 
• Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until golden brown. 
• Remove and set aside. 
• Add the onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook until soft. 
• While the onion is cooking – combine the nut butter, almond milk and chicken stock in a large jug. Whisk until well combined and smooth. 
• Add the garlic to the onion and cook until fragrant. 
• Sprinkle over the almond flour and mix well. 
• Pour in the nut butter and stock mixture. 
• Sprinkle in the dried herbs. 
• Bring to a gentle simmer and add the kale. 
• Simmer until thickened. 
• Return the chicken to the pan to cook through. 
• When the chicken is almost done add the mushrooms back into the mix and stir to heat through. Finish with the sun-dried tomatoes for a pop of colour and acidity. 
• Serve the saucy creamy casserole with a fresh green salad on the side.