Take three
Richard Fox looks at more simple menu ideas
The humble mushroom - stalwart of the English countryside - is without doubt, edible nature's answer to David Beckham: loved and loathed in equal measures; hero and villain, and more guises than - well, Becks himself. The mushroom's capacity to lift a team of ingredients to new heights, or break through with a devastating flavour finish when all is bland is the stuff of folklore. In the truffle markets of Piedmont it inspires bidding wars to make Sotherby's blush. And yet it's as down to earth as the ground it grows in. As Steve McClaren will testify: leave it out at your peril.
From white button to white truffle, the mushroom is one of those rare ingredients that can lead any of the traditional meal times. However, it's the ubiquitous large flat-cup mushroom that's as comfortable on the workers café breakfast plate as on the Villeroy Boch in Michelin-starred splendour. For the pub chef looking to maximise the use of a single ingredient - this is indeed, good news. And with a single par-cooking method that covers every eventuality, the fungi really lives up to
its name.
In order to end up with an evenly cooked, juicy and tender full-flavoured mushroom, simply lay them in a single layer on a large sheet of kitchen foil; dot with knobs of butter, slivers of garlic, sprigs of thyme and a healthy sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Loosely cover the whole shebang with more foil, and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the mushrooms. Once cooked to tender, remove the flavour garnishes, cool down and refrigerate ready for service. Simply re-heating the mushroom in its whole form will provide the centrepiece for all sorts of breakfast combos, but with the rice and garlic at hand there's an opportunity for real creativity without fuss.
Mushroom risotto using a short grain rice such as Arborio is a top contender for favourite evening comfort food. The secret is getting loads of flavour into the base risotto through softening finely chopped onion with garlic and thyme, and then cooking the rice using a full-flavoured stock (make sure you save the original cooking juices from the mushrooms to add to it). Cook the rice to al denté (with a firm bite), and then cool it down as quickly as possible by spreading it thinly in a flat tray. It can now be stored in the fridge ready for service, at which point the final flavour additions are made - ie, the pre-cooked sliced mushroom, Parmesan cheese and a little cream. If you really want to push the boat out, a few drops of truffle oil will give it that total luxury finish.
A quicker and less labour intensive method with rice is to use a long grain variety such as Basmati and go for a mushroom Pilaf. Once again, you can get extra flavour through an onion, garlic and thyme base, and then
simply throw in the rice, double the volume of stock or water to rice, add the mushrooms before bringing to the boil on the stove top. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, and in the words of Gordon
Ramsay: Done!
You don't have to confine the mushroom to a main course role either: The pre-cooked flat cup serves as the perfect base for all kinds of toppings. The pilaf or risotto for example could take on a starter role when served on top of the whole mushroom. A final flurry of basil oil around the outside would not only add a great flavour, but vibrant colour too. Left over slices of white bread can be blitzed in the food processor to breadcrumbs before adding some blanched parsley, garlic and melted butter to make a delicious garlic and parsley paste. This can be spread over the flat cup, and then simply baked or grilled for service.
However you serve it, you can always guarantee it will be a good seller, and in the pre-cooked form described earlier, you stretch its shelf-life beyond what it might have been. And even if you think your working kitchen life resembles that of the mushroom (kept in the dark, etc), embrace its versatility and flavour, and you can still be a fun...ghi! (sorry!)
