Saturday, April 14, 2007

Weekend Herb Blogging #78

You still have plenty of time to take part in this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and as I am hosting I thought I should, at least, get my own post up.

swiss brown

These are Swiss Brown mushrooms and are also known as Brown, Cremini, Crimini, Honey Brown, Italian Brown, Italian and Roman Brown Mushrooms. They are a simple mutation of the common White mushroom. They have a stronger flavour and a firmer flesh which makes them an excellent choice for cooking as they will keep their shape.

Mushrooms are a good source of protein and fibre and they also contain Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B7, B12 and C along with Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium and selenium. They are also the subject of medical research on whether they contain properties that can help prevent cancer.

underneath

The dish I'm making today utilises the Swiss Browns firmer texture and in a sense, it's a dish that you serve in a variety of ways. I'm roasting the mushrooms whole with a light sprinkling of Olive Oil and lemon thyme and near the end of their cooking, I crumble into the caps, fresh Chèvre . Chèvre is interesting as even though it will have been heated it still maintains it's shape and it's only when you cut into it that you see how soft it really is.

roasted

Roasted Swiss Brown Mushrooms with Chèvre and Lemon Thyme

Swiss Brown Mushrooms, stems removed
Chèvre, such as this and this
fresh Lemon Thyme
Olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon Scented Olive oil, to garnish (optional)
extra lemon thyme leaves

The recipe is quite loose - you can make one or a hundred with similar ease.

After a gentle wipe of the mushroom caps place them in a bowl - drizzle in a little Olive oil and toss lightly.

Place them cap side down (gill side up) on a baking paper lined oven tray. Sprinkle over with fresh lemon thyme leaves and a grinding of salt and black pepper.

Cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes for medium sized caps. If you are using large mushrooms then naturally you will need to increase the cooking time. Remove and place rough chunks of Chèvre into each cap - return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has heated through.

Place the mushrooms on a serving dish, drizzle over with a little Lemon scented Olive oil if desired and some more fresh lemon thyme leaves.

You can serve this as a great side dish to a main meal or use them as a bruschetta topping - on a thick slice of toasted sourdough, stagger the mushrooms and then drizzle over with the pan juices for an extra mushroom hit.

If the weather permitted, you could easily do these on the BBQ and for something with a bit more flavour, try using a soft blue cheese.

I'm having a great time reading the entries that have come in so far, there's some new and usual offerings on show. If you need more information on how to take part then just head over to this post.

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14 comments

  1. What a great idea! This should be a perfect side dish. I love the idea of BBQ-ing the mushroom with cheese.

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  2. I love, love, love this recipe! These are one of my favorite mushrooms (usually called cremini here.) And I am saving mushrooms recipes to feature in a future post, so this just got saved into that folder!

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  3. Thanks Anh!

    Thanks Kalyn!

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  4. I love this recipe, too!

    Paz (wishing she lived next door to Haalo)

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  5. I love pictures of mushrooms! They always look so mysterious and beautiful at the same time. Yours are no exception. And the recipe sounds delicious too!

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  6. Haalo, I don't know how you do it but everything you post just seems so incredibly effortless, which I think of as being a quality unique to Australians. Congrats, this is an exceptional post to say the least

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  7. Your pictures are so beauitful. I feel like the mushroom is right in front of me--for real! I love the recipe!

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  8. Thanks Paz - just let me know when you do move in next door I'll come over with plenty of goodies!

    Thanks Y - mushrooms are so very photogenic and rather magical.

    Thanks Trig for those very kind words - I'm trying to keep in mind something said by one of the chef's here in Melbourne, in that there's a lot of "filler" in recipes, ingredients that have been added through the years that don't actually add anything of worth to a dish. Less is definitely more.

    Thanks Sher - it's probably impossible to take a bad photo of a mushroom!

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  9. I love mushrooms too and you´re right abaout these brown ones. They are a must at our grill parties and all struggle to eat them!!
    Thanks for doing this fabulous round up!! :))

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  10. Thanks Helene - they just love the grill.

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  11. There must be something in the air. I, as well as another blogger, posted about these last week (within hours of each other!). Must be some mushroom magic going on. The chevre idea sounds very delish.

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  12. It is amazing how often that happens Susan.

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  13. Excuse me for commenting so late... I came here from your post about goat's cheese.

    This looks so good! And what a dilemma about what kind of cheese to use! Blue or creamy goat's??

    -Elizabeth

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  14. Thanks Elizabeth - oh, if you can't decide, then make half and half and then everyone will be happy!

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