Baked portobello mushrooms topped with quinoa, feta and micro herbs

Ingredients

• 8 medium portobello mushrooms
• 50g unsalted butter
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 150ml dry white wine
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 320g jar marinated goat's feta
• Micro herbs for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Place mushrooms in a large baking tray, dot with butter and scatter over thyme sprigs. Add wine, stock and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tray with foil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring two cups water to the boil, add quinoa, reduce heat, cover with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

To serve, spoon the quinoa over the mushrooms, add a dollop of goat's feta and scatter over the micro herbs. Season with extra salt and pepper if required.

Autumn salad of mushroom and oinon

Salad of Mixed Greens, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms
and Red Onions with Sherry Vinaigrette

When autumn arrives, green salads tend to be more assertive. This one, composed of roasted vegetables and a boldly flavored vinaigrette, is just right before the pasta main course. Use other vegetables, if you prefer, such as roasted beets, eggplant or potatoes.

Ingredients:

VINAIGRETTE :
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of dried tarragon
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

SALAD :
• 8 large portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 red onions, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups torn salad greens, such as mesclun mix, red leaf lettuce, Boston lettuce,
• Bibb lettuce or green leaf lettuce (see Note)
• Shaved Parmesan or pecorino cheese, for garnish

Method:
1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and tarragon and whisk again. Slowly add the olive oil, pouring it in a steady stream while whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. To prepare the salad, place the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish lined with aluminum foil, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
4. Spread the onions in another foil-lined baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
5. Roast the mushrooms and onions for about 1 hour, until very tender. Stir them a few times during roasting. Set aside to cool.
6. To serve, put the greens in a large bowl and toss with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and then arrange on 6 salad plates.
7. Put the mushrooms in the bowl and toss with about 2 more tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the greens. Put the onions in the bowl and toss with about 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the mushrooms. Top each salad with the shaved cheese and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Note : Use the freshest salad greens available. Many supermarkets and green grocers sell mesclun mix, a mixture of specialty lettuces, which adds lovely flavor, texture and color to any salad. Mix it with other soft, buttery greens.

Serves: 6

mushroom tatin

400g swiss brown mushrooms, trimmed
400g field mushrooms sliced
200g shitake mushrooms, sliced
100g enoki mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
150g king brown mushrooms, julinned
50ml extra virgin olive oil
50g butter
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
5 green shallots, finely sliced
5 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper, to season
extra butter for greasing
200g fontina cheese, cut into 2cm cubes
400g frozen puff pastry
120 g goats cheese
balsamic vinegar glaze to serve

1. Heat oven to 220 C. Partially cook mushrooms for 1 minute in salted boiling water, then drain thoroughly.
2. Heat oil and butter in a frypan. Add garlic, shallot and thyme and season. Cook over a med heat for 6 minutes or until soft. Gently stir in mushrooms. Remove from heat.
3. Grease an ovenproof non-stick 30 cm frying pan, then line with baking paper, leaving corners of paper hanging out. Arrange mushroom mixture decoratively in base of prepared pan, then scatter over fontina cheese.
4. Roll out pastry to 6mm thick, cut a circle of pastry to line pan, allowing a 3cm overhang. Position on top of mushrooms.
5. Bake for 25-35 mins. Let cool slightly, then invert onto a large plate. To serve, top with goats cheese and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Mushrooms with lemon thyme and fetta

4 large field mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch lemon thyme, sprigs removed
1 cup breadcrumbs
125g fetta, crumbled
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms, chop finely and place in a bowl. Brush the base of each mushroom with olive oil. Add the garlic, lemon thyme, breadcrumbs, fetta and walnuts to the chopped mushroom stalks, mix to combine.
2. Cook the mushrooms oil side down ona preheated medium-high bbq for 1-2 mins. Turn mushrooms and fill with breadcrumb mixture, cook for 1-2 mins longer. Serve immediately.

Mushroom noodle broth

20g dried shitake mushrooms
6 cups of vegetable stock
5cm piece ginger, sliced
2 spring oinons, cut into 7 cm lengths
1 long red chilli
1 pkt ramen noodles
150g oyster mushrooms
3 tbsp tamari
1 cup baby spinach leaves
600g silken firm tofu, cubed
1 pkt bean sprouts

1. Place mushrooms, stock, ginger, oinon and chilli into a large heavy-based pan and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes, then strain.
2. Put liquid back in the pan, and dicar ginger, oinon and chilli. Return liquid to the heat, add noodles, mushrooms and tamar, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add the spinach, tofu and bean sprouts, stir gently to combine.

Salad of Mixed Greens, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms and Red Onions with Sherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

VINAIGRETTE :
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of dried tarragon
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

SALAD :
• 8 large portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 red onions, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups torn salad greens, such as mesclun mix, red leaf lettuce, Boston lettuce,
• Bibb lettuce or green leaf lettuce (see Note)
• Shaved Parmesan or pecorino cheese, for garnish

Method:
1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and tarragon and whisk again. Slowly add the olive oil, pouring it in a steady stream while whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. To prepare the salad, place the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish lined with aluminum foil, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
4. Spread the onions in another foil-lined baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
5. Roast the mushrooms and onions for about 1 hour, until very tender. Stir them a few times during roasting. Set aside to cool.
6. To serve, put the greens in a large bowl and toss with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and then arrange on 6 salad plates.
7. Put the mushrooms in the bowl and toss with about 2 more tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the greens. Put the onions in the bowl and toss with about 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the mushrooms. Top each salad with the shaved cheese and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Note that the dressing always makes up a lot more than you need but it's hard to cut down. We use the left overs on green salad etc. The onions and mushrooms take about an hour to cook, sometime a little more.

Ricotta & Walnut Stuffed Field Mushroom on Herbed Polenta with Buttered French Beans and Roast Pepper & Port Jus

Recipe serves: 4 A Little Background

This dish is great to cook if you are vegetarian and just as good if you aren’t. As a person that is completely content in their carnivore ways, I can happily attest that this is one vegetarian dish that I am more than happy to put in front of me in place of a meat laden dinner plate. The grilled polenta provides a delicious and substantial foundation, the roasted mushroom is a tender and juicy centre piece, the fresh beans offer the crisp spring factor while the roast pepper and port reduction is the perfect naturally sweet and slightly decadent sauce to unite it all. Enjoy this dish, no matter what side of the carnivore/vegetarian fence you are on.

What you'll need
For the Roast Pepper and Port Jus

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ small onion, (diced)
• 1 clove garlic, (finely chopped or crushed)
• 410 grams (15 oz) roasted red pepper flesh, approx 4 red peppers/capsicum
• Keep ¼ cup of the liquid that collects in the bottom of the sweating bowl when roasting the peppers
• ½ cup of port
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves

For the Polenta

• ½ small onion (finely diced)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped or crushed)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 1.5 cups polenta meal
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1.5 cups pure cream
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1.5 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped)

For the Mushrooms

• 4 field mushrooms (Portobello) approx 8-10 cm (3-4 inches)
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup onion (finely diced)
• 2 tsp garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp honey
• 500 grams Ricotta
• 2 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Sea salt flakes
• Black pepper mill

• 2 tbsp bread crumbs (extra)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

For the Beans

• 500 grams French beans (tips removed)
• 2 tsp butter
• Sea Salt
• Black pepper mill

What to do
For the Roast Pepper and Port Jus

• Sauté the onion in the olive oil (2 minutes).
• Add the garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent.
• Increase the heat to high.
• Add the pepper (capsicum) flesh and continue to sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the port and allow the alcohol to burn off over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Add the vegetable stock and bay leaves.
• Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes, allow to cool slightly.
• Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.
• Taste for seasoning; add more port if a richer flavour is desired.

For the Polenta

• Over medium heat, sauté the onion for 2 minutes.
• Add the garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent.
• Add the oregano.
• Add the wine and cook it off.
• Add the cream and milk and bring to simmer (do not boil).
• Using a sturdy whisk, add the polenta in a steady stream and stir until it is all combined.
• Continue to cook for approx 10 minutes, (the polenta will stop sticking to the side of the pot when it is finished).
• Season to taste and pour into a flat tray to set.
• Use a tray that will allow the polenta to set about 2 cm (1 inch) deep.
• Once set cut into portion sizes and grill or fry at time of serving.

For the Mushrooms

• Preheat oven to 180 (350 fahrenheit)
• Roast the walnuts for 10 minutes and remove.
• Increase oven to 200 (400 fahrenheit)
• Clean the mushroom and remove the stems
• Chop the stems
• Sauté the onion and stems in the olive oil (2 minutes)
• Add the garlic and cook until onion is translucent
• Add the thyme and remove from the heat
• Combine the ricotta, honey, cooled walnuts, 2 tbsp of bread crumbs, nutmeg, and onion mixture.
• Season liberally to taste with salt & pepper.
• Fold together, and fill mushrooms until even with the top of the mushroom.
• Combine remaining bread crumbs and parmesan and a little more salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the mushrooms
• Bake at 200 (400 fahrenheit for 20 minutes).

For the Beans

• Boil a pot of salted water.
• Add the beans and cook for 1-2 minutes until vibrantly green.
• Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the butter, season with salt and pepper and toss until coated.

Assembly and Timing

• Make the Roast Pepper and Port Jus first, it can be made the day before.
• Make and set the polenta next, it can also be made the day before.
• Arrange all the ingredients for the remaining items.
• Prepare the Mushroom.
• While the mushrooms cook, grill or fry the polenta and boil the water for the beans.
• Warm the Jus.
• Once the mushrooms are out of the oven you can begin plating.
• Blanche the beans last while plating the rest.
• Enjoy!