Sometimes the simplest of recipes, done well and with the best of ingredients, results in the tastiest dinner. With that in mind I give you this week’s simple, yet delicious, recipe: mushrooms on toast, or posh ‘shrooms on toast, depending on how fancy your ingredients are.
Of course, you could do a version of this with white sliced pan and a packet of button mushrooms, but it just wouldn’t be as nice.
I think it needs thick slices of airy, crusty sourdough toast, a mixture of meaty Irish mushrooms and a generous amount of lemon and black pepper.
Even with the finest ingredients, it still results in a delicious dinner that’s cheap and easy.
To make garlic bread I rub the toast surface with garlic then spread with a generous amount of butter. It takes less than five minutes, can be whipped up on a whim and is perfect with a bowl of hot minestrone or pasta.
As a child, once I had graduated from making salad dressings, it was my job to make the garlic bread. I spent years beating butter in a bowl with minced garlic till creamy, carefully slicing baguette and covering the kitchen in the pungent butter as I tried to spread it on the bread.
I then wrapped it tightly in foil and crammed it into the oven next to the lasagna and trays of chips.
Lasagna night was a celebration of all things carbohydrate. Everyone always slept well after it. It’s a typical food-related memory for children of the 1980s. The smell of butter- soaked garlic bread always takes me back.
There are many excellent artisan bakers in Ireland who are producing the perfect breads for this recipe.
Crusty white bread is lovely, but I think the density and richness, as well as the tang, of a good sourdough is perfect for this. There has been much talk lately about what real bread is. Bread, at it’s best, has a minimum number of ingredients and is created with care and time.
It also has a fairly short shelf life. I usually make garlic toast with day-old sourdough and it’s the perfect solution. Blitz any leftover garlic bread into crumbs and freeze them to make your Christmas stuffing. You’ll be one step ahead of the posse and these garlicky crumbs are also perfect for sprinkling over baked fish.
This mushroom mixture is delicious stirred through pasta with a little creme fraiche or it can be used to fill an omelette.
Using a mixture of mushrooms is a good way to achieve texture and taste - even if it's just the humble, yet meaty, portobello and chestnut mushrooms. To really celebrate the mushroom, try a more exotic mix of oyster, shiitake or brown beech. An array of beautiful Irish-grown mushrooms is available from producers such as Ballyhoura Mushrooms in Cork, and this dish can be as local aas you like. Remember though that undercooked mushrooms can be unappetising, though, so cook them until they darken and soften.
I often use freshly snipped chives when they’re available, or a little thyme is lovely too.
For years I chose flat-leaf parsley over the more common curly variety, but I am beginning to favour the curly kind again now that I see what a hardy plant it is.
It somehow survives incredible neglect and thrives in the garden each year.
A fresh citrus burst of lemon balances the dark earthiness of the mushrooms very well – they are always a great match.
Simple but so tasty, this is the perfect dish to demonstrate the magic of mushrooms.
Mushrooms on toast: serves 4
The five ingredients
400g mixed mushrooms, roughly sliced
1 lemon
20g parsley
2 cloves garlic, halved
4- 8 slices of thickly cut sourdough bread or
crusty white bread
From the store cupboard
Butter
Method
Heat a large frying pan with a tablespoon of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat.
After five minutes the mushrooms should darken. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Add the lemon juice and parsley, stir well to coat and set aside, keep warm.
Meanwhile, toast the bread. Once lightly golden, rub the cut side of the garlic clove against the surface of the toast then spread immediately with butter.
Generously spoon the mushrooms on top of the toast and serve immediately.
Every Thursday we'll tweet the five ingredients from @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes.
