Mushrooms – beef for vegetarians?
A few years ago, my mother came to stay with me. It was great to see her, and I wanted to take the chance to cook her something good. I made chicken and a salad (it was summer) – leaves, tomatoes, spring onions. And some sliced button mushrooms.
When we had finished eating, I noticed that Ma had left all the mushrooms. “Not eating the mushrooms?” I asked her. “No,” she replied. “I don’t like mushrooms. I’ve never liked them.”
It was actually a bit of a “penny dropping” kind of moment. I realised for the first time that I had been reared in a mushroom-free household; that because my mother didn’t like mushrooms, and she was the primary cook in the household, we had actually almost never had mushrooms.
So I don’t even recall when I did start eating mushrooms. But it wasn’t like a big deal or anything. They didn’t seem something, like blue cheese or chili, which you had to train your palate for and “learn” to enjoy. They do have a distinctive, earthy taste (the brown more than the white), but they are generally pretty mildly flavoured, and it’s not a disagreeable flavour. I was kinda surprised, actually, to learn that mother could have taken such exception to them.
In my fallow, vegetarian post-student years, they were often an ingredient in a kind of vege spag bol. My flatmate Chrissy used to dice them finely with other vegetables (courgette, tomato, onion, capsicum) and mix them with grated cheese to make what he rather fancifully named “the Kiwi calzone”. Pretty good food, though, for people who still went out at night and drank a lot.
Perversely, my return to eating meat actually probably meant that I ate more mushrooms than as a vegetarian. Mushrooms actually pair really well with a lot of different types of meat – bacon, chicken, beef – so I was keen to make up for lost meat-eating time, and, as it turned out, my childhood had also been mushroom-deprived. I went a bit mushroom mad – mushroom stroganoff, grilled field mushrooms, chicken cacciatore, pork chops with mushrooms – you name it, I cooked it – avec funghi.
And so, I went from being mushroom deprived to being a mushroomy overachiever; someone with an arsenal of ways and means by which to deploy fungi.
They do need to be prepped right – I don’t wash mushrooms, though some people do (argue that one among yourselves). I give them a thorough once-over with a paper towel. With big flat field mushrooms, I will peel off the outer skin and slice off the very bottom of the stalk. The main thing is to remove any clumps of dirt, which would add an unnecessarily earthy hit to their already earthy flavour.
Though I am not overly fond of creamy pasta sauces, I do love creamy mushrooms on toast – sliced Portobello mushrooms fried in olive oil and garlic and finished with cream, black pepper, a splash of balsamic vinegar and Italian parsley. Good with some crispy grilled bacon, too. You could also get veg-creative and make a mushroom risotto or the aforementioned mushroom stroganoff – garlic, onions, sour cream and smoked paprika should give you the rich, smoky flavour you need – and serve it with rice. Actually pretty ace.
If you don’t want to get creamy with the ‘shrooms, you can instead use lemon – zest, juice – it works magnificently well with their rich, earthy flavour.
Another cool thing to do is make a pizza with lots of different types of mushrooms – white and brown buttons, sliced field mushrooms, shiitake – whatever you can get a hold of. You will be pleasantly surprised by the depth of the contrasting flavours of the different varieties.
I love mushrooms with very strongly flavoured accompaniments like blue cheese and walnuts – actually, that’s a hell of a pasta combination right there…
As part of my concerted effort to eat less (but better quality) meat, I will often have a (smaller) steak with a roasted field mushroom – it absorbs those “meaty” flavours well, and the texture is entirely complementary to that of the steak. That said, the field mushroom roasted in the oven with some rosemary, garlic and olive oil is pretty good as a surrogate burger patty in a bun with some rocket leaves and aioli – hell, throw some grated parmesan on top of that ‘shroom, and you’re talking a party in a bun.
So – the mighty mushrooms. It’s not an A-lister for me, like potatoes, onions, garlic and tomatoes are, but it’s not far off. It is a similarly “hearty” sort of vegetable as pumpkin, for me – a distinctive flavour that works well with some ingredients and not others. They are great for vegetarians, and serious carnivores should still dig their hearty, “fleshy” vibe.
Mushrooms – are you a fan? How do you like to cook and eat them – someone the other day suggested a salad with mushrooms and strawberries – what wacky combos do you have for me?
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