Soba Noodle Salad With Teriyaki Mushrooms

Prep: 15 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Serves:  4

  • 270g packet soba noodles
  • 1 bunch asparagus, halved, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons caster sugar
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 6cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into matchsticks
  • 400g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced; or 400g cup mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Fresh coriander sprigs, to serve

  1. Cook noodles following packet instructions, adding asparagus for last minute. Drain. Cool under cold running water. Dain well. 
  2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a large bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add noodle mixture and onion to dressing. Toss until well coated.
  3. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add mushrooms to hot pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add teriyaki sauce and lemon juice. Toss to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has reduced and mushrooms are glazed. 
  4. Divide noodle mixture between 4 serving bowls. Top with mushrooms and garlic mixture. Serve sprinkled with coriander.

Mushroom and Potato Pizza

Prep: 15 mins | Cooking time: 12 mins | Makes:  2 pizzas

  • 300g fresh ricotta
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 x 250g packets pizza dough (see note)
  • 100g baby potatoes, very thinly sliced
  • 200g brown cup mushrooms, sliced; or brown or white button mushrooms, sliced; or larger mushrooms halved and sliced 
  • Baby rocket leaves, to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 240°C/220°C fan-forced. Combine ricotta, parmesan, 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. With oiled hands, spread each pizza dough over 2 greased baking trays.  Crumble ricotta mixture over bases. Arrange potato over ricotta. Top with mushroom. Drizzle with remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until base is cooked and mushrooms are golden.
  2. Sprinkle with rocket. Drizzle with extra oil. Serve.

Cook’s note: You can find fresh pizza dough in the refrigerated section, near the fresh pasta. But you can also use a ready-made pizza base from the bakery section of the supermarket.

Mush-Boom Potato Pizza

French Onion Mushroom Cob

Prep: 15 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins | Serves:  12

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g swiss brown mushrooms, diced;
  • or 200g white mushrooms, diced 
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 375g cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise
  • ½ cup grated tasty cheese
  • 40g packet French onion soup mix
  • ¼ cup finely chopped chives, plus extra to serve
  • 450g white cob loaf
  • Vegetable sticks, to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushroom and onion. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until golden and liquid has evaporated.
  3. Reserve 2 tablespoons mushroom mixture. Combine remaining mushroom mixture in a large bowl with cream cheese, mayonnaise, tasty cheese, soup mix and chives. Season with pepper.
  4. Use a serrated knife to cut 4cm from top of cob loaf and reserve. Remove bread from centre of loaf, leaving a 2cm-thick shell. Tear bread pieces into 3cm pieces. Spoon mushroom mixture into shell. Sprinkle with reserved mushroom mixture. Top with lid. Place on prepared tray. Arrange bread pieces around cob. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with extra chives. Serve with vegetable sticks.

Shish-ka Boom Mushroom Kabob

Prep: 45 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Serves:  6

  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 400g brown and white mushrooms; 
  • or 400g white flat mushrooms
  • 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • Lebanese flat bread (quartered), to serve

Tabbouleh

  • 1/4 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
  • 250g packet cocktail truss tomatoes, diced
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)

Garlic Yoghurt Sauce

  • ½ cup plain Greek-style yoghurt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

  1. Make Kabobs
    Combine sriracha, oil, smoked paprika and pepper in a large bowl. Halve any larger mushroom so they are roughly the same size. Add mushrooms to sriracha mixture. Gently toss to coat. Using 2 skewers at a time, skewer mushrooms (see note). Heat a large frying pan or barbecue grill on high. Reduce heat to medium. Char-grill mushrooms for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally or until lightly charred and tender.
  2. Make Tabbouleh 
    Place bulgur in a heatproof bowl. Add enough boiling  water to cover, then set aside for 10 minutes. Drain in a sieve, pressing down with the back of a spoon to drain excess moisture. Set aside to cool. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Make Garlic Yoghurt Sauce 
    Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Assemble
    To assemble, spoon some tabbouleh onto flat bread. Top with mushroom and red onion. Serve drizzled with yoghurt sauce.

Cook’s notes:
Using 2 skewers instead of 1 makes it easier to turn the mushrooms on the barbecue and they are less likely to fall off. If using wooden skewers, you’ll need to soak them in water for 10 minutes to avoid scorching. You can also buy ready-made tabbouleh if you run out of time.

To level up the heat in the kabob, increase sriracha to 1 tablespoon. For hotter still, use ⅓ of a cup of sriracha instead. For the hottest of the hot, sprinkle 5 finely chopped Birdseye chillies and 2 teaspoons of dried chilli flakes onto the cooked kabob..

Level up your Shish-Kaboom

Mushroom Sausage Rolls

Prep: 40 mins (plus chilling) | Cooking time: 40 mins | Makes:  24

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, finely chopped
  • 400g large flat mushrooms, diced; or 400g white or brown mushroom, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 x 125g cans four bean mix, rinsed, drained
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup stale breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, partially thawed, halved
  • Sesame seeds, to sprinkle
  • Tomato sauce, to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes or until softened. Add mushroom, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to golden. Transfer to a large plate. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to cool. 
  3. Meanwhile, place 1 egg, beans and mustard in bowl of small food processor. Process until smooth. Place cooled mushroom mixture in a large bowl. Add bean mixture, breadcrumbs and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Place 1/4 of the filling along 1 long side of 1 pastry half. Roll up pastry to enclose filling. Carefully cut into 6 pieces (filling is quite soft). Place, seam-side down, on prepared trays. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry. Lightly beat remaining egg. Brush pastry with egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Serve with tomato sauce.

Portobello Mushroom Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Prep: 15 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Serves:  4

  • 12 Portobello mushrooms; or 12 flat white mushrooms
  • 250g packet cocktail truss tomatoes, cut into bunches
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • Roasted baby potatoes, to serve

Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

  1. Heat a barbecue grill plate on high. Spray mushrooms and tomatoes with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Barbecue mushrooms, with hood down, for 3-4 minutes each side or until lightly charred and tender. Barbecue tomatoes for 2-3 minutes. Serve vegetables drizzled with chimichurri sauce.
  2. Make Chimichurri Sauce Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.