Flavour palette
White mushrooms have a mild, earthy flavor. Though their flavor is pleasantly subtle”almost bland”when raw, it deepens nicely as they are cooked
How to choose:
Seek out firm, unblemished, and uniformly colored mushrooms with tightly closed caps. You can tell a mushroom is past its prime when all of its gills are showing.
How to prep:
Trimming white button mushrooms is simple. All you really need to do is trim the very ends of the stems.
To wash or not to wash?
There are different schools of thought on how to clean mushrooms. One approach is to brush them off with a dry or damp towel or a soft brush. This method works well if the mushrooms aren’t very dirty, but if they are, wash them, albeit gently. Rinse them briefly, one at a time, under running water, then transfer them to a dry towel and give them a little pat to blot away surface moisture. This method removes the grime without completely soaking them.
Mushrooms tend to exude lots of moisture when they’re heated, particularly if they’ve been rinsed. This is why many like to sauté them, in plenty of oil or butter, over medium-high to high heat”the high temperature helps the moisture evaporate quickly so the mushrooms can then brown well.
How to store:
White button mushrooms should be stored in a place that allows as much cool air to circulate around them as possible. Ideally, they should be arranged on a tray in a single layer, covered with a damp paper towel and refrigerated. Stored this way, they'll keep for up to three days.
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Recipe for the weekend
Mushroom Ragout Toasts
Heat in a large saucepan over medium heat:
1 tablespoons olive oil
Add and cook, stirring, until golden, about 6 minutes:
1 onion, finely chopped
Add and cook until they begin to release their liquid:
500 grams button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
Add and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 4 minutes:
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Stir in:
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in:
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
Stir in:
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
To serve as pictured, toast:
Thick slices of brown or sourdough bread
Rub the toasted bread with:
One clove garlic
Spoon the ragout over the bread and top with:
Fried eggs
Black pepper
Grated parmesan
Serves 4
Serve over pasta, rice or garlic-rubbed croutons
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Mushrooms for your heart
Immune System Benefits
Specific cells in the body, referred to as natural killer cells, respond rapidly to foreign invaders such as viruses or cancer cells. Their rapid response is crucial to the immune system, as it helps the body fight disease. Eating button mushrooms can boost the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells. Although they do not fully understand how, scientists believe that it is the polysaccharide content of the mushrooms that is responsible for their immune-boosting ability.
Anticancer Benefits
Button mushrooms protect the body from various cancer cell lines. In June 2010, the department of plant pathology at Penn State released a report stating that button mushrooms have been found effective at treating breast, colon and prostate cancers. A healthy woman may eat less than 1/2 cup to greatly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
Nutritional Benefits
Button mushrooms contribute to the recommended daily intake of several vitamins and minerals. Mushrooms contain high amounts of copper, which is needed to produce blood cells and maintain heart health. Additional nutrients are vitamins C, D and B; and the minerals selenium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. When cooked, most of the nutrient content of mushrooms remains the same, while some nutrients lose between 5 and 20 percent of their value.
