Money Saving Meals

Mushrooms

"Not only delicious, they are incredibly nutritious," says dietitian Glenn Cardwell, providing you with more than a quarter of your daily needs of the essential vitamins riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin. Did you know that mushrooms are:

• one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world?
• very filling despite being low in kilojoules, making them a great ‘weight control’ food?
• a good source of the essential minerals selenium and copper?
• a wonderful source of fibre, to keep you healthy on the insides?
• a 2009 study found that women eating 10 g of mushrooms a day (less than one button mushroom) had a 60% lower risk of getting breast cancer?

And the best thing about them is they can be chopped up and mixed with minced meat or chicken to hide that extra vegetable and extend the mince.

Here are some tips from the Australian Mushroom Growers Association on which mushroom to choose for what dish. Remember, buttons, cups and flats are the cheapest by far. The other varieties cost much more so choose carefully. Oyster, shiitake, enoki and Swiss browns are frequently sold pre-packed in plastic, so make sure you use them promptly.

• Button mushrooms are perfect to use raw in salads or as finger food with dips, skewered on a kebab or tossed into stir fries and pastas. They are also great marinated in oil, red wine vinegar and garlic and served as part of an antipasto platter.
• Cups can be used whole, halved, quartered or sliced in soups, stews and stir fries. Pan fry some mushrooms with onion and garlic and serve on polenta, add them to pasta or pizzas or just enjoy on toast.
• Flats are almost a meal in themselves. Try topping them to make a ‘mushroom pizza’, Panfry mushrooms whole and then use as a patty in a burger or pan fry in olive oil with fresh herbs. Great thrown on the barbie, brushed or sprayed with a little oil.
• Oyster mushrooms are best cooked quickly (add at the end of a stir-fry) and partner perfectly with seafood, chicken, veal and noodles.
• Shiitake are ideal for braises, stir-fries, soups and sauces – or simply tossed on the barbecue or char grilled.
• Swiss brown have a rich, earthy flavour. Add to risottos, casseroles and pasta or marinate and pop on an antipasto platter.
• Portobellos are big (a larger flat version of Swiss browns) and ideal for grilling or roasting or served as part of a meatless burger. They make a great ‘pizza’ base.
• Enoki are best enjoyed raw in salads or sandwiches or used in soups, clear broths and stir fries and Japanese dishes such as shabu shabu or sukiyaki.

Dried mushrooms are great too!

To add amazing flavour for very little cost we like to use dried mushrooms, especially porcini (a kind of cepe) and dried shiitake (often called black Chinese mushrooms) to our recipes. They are mostly imported from Europe and Asia (especially from China) and need to be soaked in hot water before using. We use the soaking liquid as part of the stock for extra flavour. Delicious.
What about cost? Dried porcini mushrooms may seem like a luxury ingredient at about $6 for 40 g, but they keep well in the pantry and a little goes a very long way in risottos, soups and stews. If you buy ‘dried porcini mushroom crumbs’ you get better value – 60 g for around $6.

Buying and storing fresh mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms should have a firm texture and a dry surface. Avoid withered or damp mushrooms. Store them in the fridge in a brown paper bag, preferably on the lowest shelf. If you put them in a plastic bag they’ll sweat and become slimy.

Preparing mushrooms

One of the great things about mushrooms is that there is practically no waste, so you get exactly what you have paid for! And mushrooms are incredibly quick and easy to prepare. Here are some tips from The Australian Mushroom Growers Association:

• If you are eating your mushrooms raw, wipe them over with a clean, damp paper towel, or rinse quickly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towel.
• If you are cooking mushrooms, simply use a soft pastry brush to gently brush any dirt from the surface and, if necessary, trim the dry end of the stem.
• Mushrooms prepared ahead of time can be sprinkled with a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
• The stem is a good source of flavour and nutrients so there is no need to remove the stem.
• On the occasions that you do need to remove the stem, chop it and add to stuffings, casseroles, soups and sauces.

Mushroom matchmakers

Mushrooms match perfectly with thyme, parsley, garlic, onions, red wine vinegar, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, bacon or prosciutto, chilli, breadcrumbs and with many Asian sauces for stir fries.

Mushroom carbonara

This simple dish from the Australian Mushroom Growers Association is quick and easy to whip up and is just as tasty as the more traditional ‘Spaghetti carbonara’ made with bacon in our Money Saving Meals book. Their recipe uses 75 g (2½ oz) cheese (we halved this and used about 40 g (1/2 cup) when we made it to keep the fat content lower. We would serve this with a garden salad – simply toss mixed leaves and a couple of ripe red tomatoes cut into wedges in a vinaigrette dressing.

Serves 4 @ AUD$3.25 with a salad or $2.10 without
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes

• 350 g dried fettuccine (or spaghetti)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 400 g (14 oz) button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked with a fork
• 75 g (2½ oz) finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• Garden salad, to serve

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente following the packet instructions for cooking time. In the meantime …

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes or until the onion is soft, stirring often. Add the mushrooms and cook a further 4 minutes or until the mushrooms are just tender.

Drain the pasta and return to the hot saucepan. Add the whisked eggs, mushrooms, parmesan and parsley. Season with salt (if using) and pepper. Return the pan to a medium-low heat and toss for a minute or two until the egg mixture has set. Serve immediately with a garden salad.

If you love mushrooms, check out the Australian Mushroom Growers website for some tasty and economical recipes: www.oz-mushrooms.com.au