Mushrooms on Toast

Two blog posts in one week – you lucky things! It’s more beige food but trust me beige can be utterly delicious. And yes, I really am posting a recipe for Mushrooms on Toast.

In my last Christmas post I threatened had the brilliant idea of having a category here dedicated to stuff on toast. I was only half joking. I realised the other night that I regularly make this kind of food, particularly if I’m just cooking for myself. And as a GAA widow that happens a fair bit of the time.

So I’ve name the category ‘Things on Toast‘. Genius, I know. It’s a working title and alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It’s an easy way to make a delicious meal in minutes – no having to boil pasta, rice or quinoa, no peeling potatoes. Simple carbs in minutes. You can find other recipes in the link above or go to the dropdown box under ‘Search by Ingredients’.

These Mushrooms on Toast are delicious as they are, but if you want more of a meal add some bacon or egg for extra protein. Great at any time of the day, they make a great quick light meal or a tasty brunch.

 

 

 

Useful tips & links:

• Use any variety of mushrooms or a mixture if you like. I use standard chestnut mushrooms which also means it’s cheap as chips.
• In this recipe the mushrooms are coated in a thick creamy sauce. If you want a looser sauce add some milk towards the end.
• I use creme fraiche here as I like the tangy flavour with the earthy mushrooms but you can use regular cream if you prefer.
• If you really want impress and go all out with the sauce, you could make the sauce from my Creamy Mushroom Pasta and add it to the cooked mushrooms. It will take longer though and I think the beauty of this is its speed and simplicity.
• I use tarragon as my herb of choice but you can use thyme, parsley or rosemary if you prefer.
• A lot of recipes use brioche bread for the toast but I find the mushrooms are rich enough so I use sourdough bread instead. You could also use little crostini to make these into canapes.
• For a really luxurious take on this dish Laoise Casey’s excellent Lunch Box series of recipes features this Confit Mushrooms on Toast with Caramelised Shallots & Crispy Parma Ham.

 

 

Mushrooms on Toast

Serves 2, or 1 very hungry person

Ingredients:

• 175-200g of mushrooms, cleaned and chopped or sliced
• ½ of a small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 25g of butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 tablespoons of crème fraiche
• The leaves from 1 stalk of tarragon, chopped
• A handful of spinach leaves
• 1 teaspoon of mushroom ketchup (optional)
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 2 slices of toast
• Options to serve:
• Crispy pancetta or smoked bacon
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Fried or poached eggs with a pinch of Aleppo Pepper or cayenne pepper and smoked paprika
• Asparagus or tenderstem broccoli
• Blue cheese

 

Method:

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the finely sliced onions. When they begin to soften add the mushrooms and butter to the pan. Season with a little salt and a nice bit of pepper and cook over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the mushrooms are cooked.
• Finely slice or crush the garlic and add it to the pan. Cook for another minute.
• Pour in the crème fraiche, add the tarragon and the mushroom ketchup and keep the heat low.
• When you are happy that everything is cooked add the spinach to the pan and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook until the spinach has completely wilted and taste to see if it needs any seasoning.
• Spoon the mushrooms over the toast and if you want to keep it plain simple grate a little parmesan on top. Or go mad with your own toppings! Serve immediately.