Master Mushroom Season with These Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Nowadays it’s easy to find fruits and vegetables all year round, but it’s so much better to buy them when they’re in season. Autumn is mushroom season and we’re in the thick of it right now.

Mushrooms are super versatile, you can eat them raw in a salad, cook them in a soup, or even chuck them in a coffee.

Now that we’re moving into winter, it’s a great time to think of some warm dishes for those cold months. Here are a few ways you can eat mushrooms for breakfast, lunch or dinner, courtesy of Bonnie Coumbe and Australian Mushrooms.

Breakfast: Mushroom Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients:

Polenta triangles:

• 3/4 cup quick polenta, plus extra for dusting
• 400ml good quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch fresh cracked paper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Breakfast bowl:

• 200g cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bunches of cherry truss tomatoes
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 free-range eggs
• Pinch fresh cracked paper
• Pinch kosher salt
• Butter for cooking

Method:

Polenta triangles:

1. Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Place a heavy base medium saucepan on medium heat, add the chicken stock and allow it to come up to a simmer. Add the quick polenta and stir through. Keep stirring while it thickens to prevent lumps from forming.
3. Add the fresh thyme leaves and fresh cracked pepper. 
4. Once the polenta has turned very thick and changed to a creamy consistency (after 3-5 minutes), remove it from the heat and add the grated parmesan cheese.
5. Using a spatula, scrape out the polenta from the saucepan and into the lined baking tray. Spread it out to be approximately 1-2 cm thick. Place in the fridge to set for a minimum of 30 minutes.
6. Once chilled, slice into triangles. These can be stored in the freezer for convenience or cooked straight away.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Toss the triangles in extra dried polenta and place them back on the baking tray. Place the tray in the oven to crisp up for 15 minutes. Once crispy, remove from the oven and set aside to serve.

Breakfast bowl:

1. While the oven is on, place the cherry tomatoes on a small, lined baking tray and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the skins start to split. Once cooked, remove and set aside to serve.
2. Add a knob of butter to a heavy base fry pan on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and the fresh thyme leaves. Sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Using the same frypan, add the baby spinach and allow it to wilt down. It doesn’t take long (about 1 minute), so keep an eye on it. Remove and set aside.
4. Cook an egg to your liking, e.g. fried or poached.
5. To serve, add all the ingredients to a large wide bowl, start with the polenta triangles, wilted baby spinach, mushrooms followed by adding the egg and roasted cherry tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle over with a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Lunch: Mushroom, sage and ricotta tart

Ingredients:

• 200g cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 800g ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, finely grated
• 1 egg
• 8 sheets of filo pastry
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• Olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Sauté the garlic and leek with a drizzle of olive oil in a large frypan on medium heat. Sauté until the leek has wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add another drizzle of olive oil, add the mushrooms and sauté until they turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and egg and stir until well combined. Follow by adding the grated gruyere cheese and a good pinch of freshly cracked pepper. Add 2/3 of the sautéed leek and mushrooms to the mixing bowl as well and stir through. Set the remainder aside.
5. Brush the base and sides of a medium-size rectangle baking dish (27cm x 21cm) with the melted butter. Lay 4 sheets of pastry over the baking dish, gently pressing down, lay the excess pastry over the sides. Gently brush the pastry with more melted butter before laying 4 more sheets of pastry down in the opposite direction.
6. Fill the dish with the ricotta mixture, using a spatula gently spread it out evenly. Add on top the remainder of the sautéed leek and mushrooms.
7. Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Dinner: Mushroom and chive gyoza

Ingredients:

Gyoza:

• 300g cup mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 200g wombok cabbage, finely diced
• 1 tsp tamari sauce
• 1/2 bunch Asian chives, finally chopped
• 25 gyoza wrappers (round Gow Gee pastry)
• Vegetable oil for cooking
• Water

Dipping sauce:

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce or soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 small chilli, finally sliced

To serve:

• 1 tbsp Asian shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Combine the dipping sauce ingredients into a jar and shake well. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
2. To make the gyoza, heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a wok or large heavy base fry pan with high sides on medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the mushrooms turn a golden brown colour. 
3. Add the wombok cabbage and stir through. After 1 minute or once the cabbage has wilted down and turned translucent, add 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce. Allow to simmer for a further 2 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat, add the Asian chives, and stir through.
5. Transfer the gyoza mixture to a sieve to drain off any excess liquid while it cools down.
6. Once the mix has completely cooled down, the gyoza can be wrapped. Place 1 1/2 tsp (depending on how big your wrappers are) of mixture into the center of the wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper with water, then fold over the wrap so it looks like a half moon shape. Gently press the wrapper seams together along the joined seam. Set aside while the rest are made. Lay a tea towel over the top to prevent them from drying out.
7. Heat up a heavy base fry pan to medium-high heat. Add a good drizzle of vegetable oil and place the gyoza’s bottom side down (so the seam is at the top). Allow to fry for a few minutes until the base of the pastry is a golden brown colour. Add a splash of water to the pan (stand back to prevent it staying back on you) and place a lid on to steam them for a couple of minutes. Once the pastry has changed to a transparent colour and all the water has evaporated gently remove them from the pan. Set them aside while the remainder are cooked.
8. Serve the gyoza on a platter with the dipping sauce in a small bowl to the side. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and freshly sliced Asian shallots over the top.

As you can see, you can put mushrooms in basically anything and get a delicious dish out of it. Make sure you grab some mushrooms while they’re still in season. Enjoy!