Weekend Australian Recipes Saturday 2 April Mushrooms

Autumn in a bowl - Mushrooms

Whether fresh or dried, wild or culti­vated, mushrooms are at their best when cooked simply. Look for the bounty of seasonal and wild mush­rooms that appear at this time of year. One of my favourite “home alone” din­ners is garlic mushrooms on toast - it also makes a simple starter). The Japanese-style mushroom dish is a big bowl of shiitake, oyster and enoki mushrooms served with noodles and a little liq­uid; delicious, fresh autumnal flavours.

Mushroom Minestrone

3 tablespoons olive oil

500g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 leeks, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

50g dried porcini

2 litres chicken or vegetable stock

1 fresh bay leaf

80g small dried pasta shapes

2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté mushrooms until softened and liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a large saucepan. Heat remaining oil in the frying pan and cook leeks, onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, then transfer to the saucepan. Add porcini, stock, bay leaf and pasta to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the top, reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Season to taste. Serve sprinkled with parsley and parmesan. Serves 4

Garlic mushrooms on toast

20g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

400g fresh mushrooms, wiped and sliced

2 tablespoons cream

Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Thickly sliced bread toasted

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, then turn up the heat and add mushrooms. Fry, stirring frequently, until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (you may need to do this in batches; if so, return all the mushrooms to the pan when they’re done). Add cream and parsley, stir well and season to taste. Serve mushrooms on toast. Serves 2

Japanese-style mushrooms

220g dried udon or soba noodles

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 bunch broccolini, halved lengthways

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 spring onions, sliced

200g oyster and enoki mushrooms

150g shiitake mushrooms, halved

Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Meanwhile, combine miso paste, mirin and soy sauce with 250ml boiling water, stirring to dissolve miso. Heat oil in a wok, add broccolini, ginger and spring onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add miso mixture and noodles and heat through. Season to taste and serve in bowls garnished with extra spring onions. Serves 3-4