Top 10 mushroom recipes

by Charlotte Morgan | 22 October 2012 | 2 comments

Mushrooms: such a simple ingredient, but one which can easily transform a dish. All ten of these recipes rely on the little fun-guys for flavour and texture.

Stuffed mushrooms

Such a simple dish (pictured above), but always a winner. Make a breadcrumby mix from butter, egg yolk, cream, chives, breadcrumbs, and herbs, then stuff large Portobello mushrooms with it. Bake in the oven with a buttery breadcrumb and grated cheese topping, then back until golden.

Chicken and wild mushroom pie

pie A comforting pie if ever we did taste one, made simply from chicken, onions, wild mushrooms – such as chanterelle, cep, tompette, girolle or oyster – white wine, double cream, and fresh tarragon. You may as well buy your puff pastry to speed the process up – we’ll allow you that sidestep.

Mushroom soup with coriander cress

soup A James Martin classic, made with field mushrooms, garlic, shallots, lemon, double cream, generous amounts of butter, mixed wild mushrooms and a little chopped chervil. Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle with coriander or micro salad leaves. You’ll need a blender to blitz it into a creamy soup.

Mushroom and red wine ragu

ragu Veggie expert Simon Rimmer teaches us how to cook mushrooms properly: “mushrooms should be fried in a very hot pan to seal in moisture and create a lovely crispy texture.” Combine those crispy mushrooms with a ragu sauce and pappardelle pasta, then finish with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Mushroom and ricotta filo bake

bake This filo bake is an ideal main for vegetarian guests. Be brave and make your own strudel pastry, then fill with a mushroomy mix of butter, garlic, mixed mushrooms, spinach, ricotta cheese, chopped mixed fruit and nuts (for sweetness and texture)

Mushroom crepe gratin

gratin In this dish, the crêpes are filled with a comforting mushroom stuffing (called a ‘duxelle’) and topped with a wonderful béchamel sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese before being gratinated. A mound of chopped, wilted spinach makes the perfect bed on which to serve the crêpes.

Vegetarian mushroom pie

pie “There’s something very appealing about an individual pie”, says veggie expert Nicola Graimes. “They make a hearty Sunday lunch served with red onion gravy, and their portable size means they're great for picnics”. This one comes stuffed with nuts, porcini mushrooms and herbs.

Ultimate mushrooms on toast

toast Everyone can make mushrooms on toast… but not like this. Henry Dimbleby makes his by frying button mushrooms and sliced onions in foaming butter, then adds garlic and fresh parsley for the last 30 seconds of cooking time. Add a squeeze of lemon and serve on lightly buttered toast.

Sticky mushroom stir-fry

A gorgeous recipe from Simon Rimmer, made by cooking mushrooms with ginger, red peppers and shallots, then adding soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine and brown sugar to the wok. Allow the stir-fry sauce to reduce by half then add the noodles and shredded Savoy cabbage.

Mushroom risotto

risotto Enough mushroom risotto for four people, but under £3 to make? Ingenious! If you have suitable leftover booze – say a glass of white wine or white vermouth – add to the rice before starting on the stock, similarly cooking it until absorbed. Stir in sage leaves at the very end.