Years ago, a nearby restaurant served balsamic mushrooms on sourdough as an entrée. After one visit I was hooked — ordering a second serve of mushrooms instead of a main. It took a lot of failed attempts before I finally nailed the recipe with field mushrooms and a decent balsamic. The quantities are flexible and it scales up easily. Letting the mushrooms marinate gives the best result, but they’re still good without the wait.
BALSAMIC MUSHROOMS
You can never have too many, and they reheat well.
Ingredients
- 500g mushrooms, field mushrooms work best but any will do.
- 75g olive oil
- 30g balsamic vinegar
- 10g minced garlic
- 15g golden syrup
- 45g sweet chilli sauce
- 600g flat mushrooms
- 25g grated parmesan
- 15g chopped fresh herbs (parsley, garlic chives, tarragon), or 2g dried mixed herbs for marinating, plus a few parsley or coriander leaves to serve
- 1.5g salt, plus pepper to taste
Method
- Whisk together 75g olive oil, 30g balsamic vinegar, 10g minced garlic, 15g golden syrup and 45g sweet chilli sauce. Season with 1.5g salt and pepper.
- Arrange the 600g mushrooms in a dish so they sit snugly together — standing them upright maximises contact with the marinade. Pour over the dressing, coating all surfaces. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 220°C with 20% steam.
- Transfer the mushrooms to a greased baking dish, spoon over any remaining marinade and scatter with 25g grated parmesan.
- Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning twice, until tender.
- Scatter with 15g chopped fresh herbs (or use the 2g dried mixed herbs stirred through at the marinating stage) and finish with a few parsley or coriander leaves.
- Serve on sourdough toast, or as a side with steak or pork.
Notes
Quantities are approximate and scale up easily for a crowd. Marinating time can be skipped if you’re short on it — the mushrooms still taste good straight into the oven. Fresh herbs work well, but dried mixed herbs stirred into the marinade are a fine substitute. Leftovers reheat well.
Mushroom ready to bake