If you are a professional mushroom hunter-gatherer, then this month brings a harvest of free food.
For the rest of us, it is safer to go foraging in the aisles of a good supermarket where wild mushrooms are readily available.
They are the ultimate fast food, according to Steve Clark, head chef of the Garden Restaurant at The Bromley Court Hotel.
“If you can steer yourself away from white button mushrooms, then the selection of wild and cultivated varieties now on the shelves give a flavour that is deep, rich and nutty – exactly what autumn should taste like,” he said.
“Mushrooms are so quick to cook that they beat a ready-meal hands down in the race for a quick lunch. This is a simple recipe that turns mushrooms on toast into a lunchtime treat for friends, or a tasty starter for an autumn dinner party.”
Don’t stick to just one mushroom variety - use a selection such as chestnut, shiitake, pleurotes, oyster or even dried wild morels to give different textures as well as a depth of flavour.
Add some chopped smoked bacon to the butter before cooking the mushrooms for a tasty alternative, or top the mushrooms with a poached egg.
The Garden Restaurant has a new a la carte menu this autumn. Visit www.bromleycourthotel.co.uk
RECIPE: Posh Mushrooms on Toast
Serves two. Ingredients: 2 thick slices of Brioche, 25g butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 500g mixed mushrooms, shallots, one tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper
Method:
- First, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms – halving the large ones. Cook over a high heat for a few minutes.
- Add the shallots and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the mushrooms and shallots are soft, but still holding their texture.
- Toast the brioche and put onto warm plates.
- Stir the fresh parsley into the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mushrooms, shallots and any juices over the toasted brioche and serve.
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