4 fantastic mushroom recipes to try this weekend

Tom Yum Soup with Button Mushrooms
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of coriander leaves
1.5 L water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
7-8 kaffir leaves
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp Thai ginger, cut into julienne
1 stick of lemongrass, thinly chopped
1 green chilli, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
Salt to taste
1 cup grated zucchini
½ cup button mushrooms
Juice of 1 lime
Method
Wash and rinse parsley and coriander leaves. Boil with water till it reduces by three-fourth. Remove and keep aside.
Heat the pan and add olive oil; add sliced mushrooms and sauté.
Gradually, add kafir leaves, ginger, Thai ginger, lemongrass and chillies.
Sauté for 2 minutes and add prepared parsley coriander stocks.
Add salt to taste and boil for 5 minutes.
Add grated zucchini and button mushrooms; allow to simmer and boil for about 12 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with lime.

Crispy Crunchy Mushrooms
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients
20 white small mushrooms
2 tbsp spinach purée
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp truffle oil
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp rice flour
½ cup corn starch
½ cup breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying
To serve (optional):
Readymade pie shells
Soya sauce
Tomato ketchup
Pesto
Method
Wash and peel mushrooms and remove the stem.
Blend fresh basil with spinach purée, add walnuts and grind.
Remove and stir in salt, pepper, cheese and truffle oil.
Marinate mushrooms with the mix and chill for 15 minutes.
Mix rice flour, corn starch and salt with water and make a pancake-like batter.
Heat oil in a pan, dip each mushroom in the batter and roll in breadcrumbs. Fry till golden brown. Remove and drain on tissue paper.
Serve with desired dips.

Mushroom Puffs
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
10-12 brown mushrooms
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil, basil flavour
3-4 twigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp truffle sauce
½ cup mild cheddar cheese, grated
1 packet of shortcrust pastry shells
Butter, for brushing

Method
Wash and peel mushrooms and chop roughly. Chop bell pepper into small cubes and keep aside.
Heat basil-flavoured olive oil and add thyme leaves; stir and add chopped mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper and truffle sauce. Cool.
Prepare pastry shells and bake according to the instructions.
Fill each shell with the prepared filling and top with cheddar cheese.
Brush with butter, bake at 180°C
for 10 minutes and serve with tomato ketchup.

Thin Crust Mushroom Olive Pizza
Prep time: 1 hr
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
For the pizza base:
1 ½ cup plain flour
2 tbsp polenta
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
½ tsp sugar
120 ml water
4 tbsp olive oil
For the pizza toppings:
1 cup tomato purée
1 bay leaf
4-5 fresh basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp red chilli flakes
½ tbsp paprika
Sea salt to taste
1 tbsp truffle olive oil
7-8 mushrooms, washed, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sundried tomato powder
1 cup mixed bell peppers, thinly sliced
½ cup olives, black and green, sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Method
Sieve the flour and mix with salt and polenta. Mix yeast with sugar and 1 tbsp warm water, and add to the flour. Mix 4 tbsp olive oil and water to make dough. Use hands to make smooth dough. Brush the dough with olive oil and keep aside to rise for 45 minutes.
Mix tomato purée with bay leaf, fresh basil, oregano, flakes, salt and paprika. Cook this for 3-4 minutes. Remove and cool.
Discard the bay leaf and basil leaves.
Heat the pan and add truffle oil, add thinly sliced mushrooms and sundried tomato powder. Toss and cool for 1 minute.
Heat the oven at 200°C. Knead the dough and shape into ball. Dust with extra polenta and roll the ball into a thin circle. Keep the edges slightly thick.
Place the rolled pizza into a pizza tray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Spread tomato sauce, sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, olives and grated mozzarella. Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes till the cheese melts. Serve hot.

• Food and Dining