Agaricus bisporus or white mushroom
The current CookingBites Recipe Challenge chosen ingredient is the Mushroom. And what a wonderful versatile thing it is!
My daughter doesn't like mushrooms. Its the texture, she says. This is rather annoying, as she is vegetarian and mushrooms have long been regarded as vegetarian 'meat'. However, if I chop them up in a bean burger or a bake she is quite happy to eat them and there is no doubt that they can add a wonderful savoury taste to vegetarian dishes.
There are more than 10,000 varieties of mushrooms, each with its own unique taste and shape. But all of them contain a compound called 1-octen-3-one, responsible for the distinctive musky, earthy flavour. Despite their high water content (over 90%) they are surprisingly robust and can stand up to long cooking without disintegrating. They can vary considerably in texture and flavour but generally speaking they work well with strong, salty and pungent flavours such as bacon, cheese, soy sauce, garlic.
Mushrooms are a perfect food if you are trying to lose weight and they are good for you! They are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten free, and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium (8%), riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D. For a more detailed breakdown of the nutritional content see here: http://www.cairnsmushrooms.com.au/nutrition.html
Agaricus bisporus is the most widely recognized, and most cultivated mushroom, variously known as common mushroom, button mushroom, white mushroom, cultivated mushroom, table mushroom, Parisian mushroom or champignon mushroom. These white mushrooms account for 90% of mushroom sales in the US. Sadly, they are the least flavourful of mushrooms. When immature and brown, the Agaricus bisporus is variously known as the Swiss brown mushroom, Roman brown mushroom, Italian brown, Italian mushroom, cremini or crimini mushroom, brown cap mushroom, or chestnut mushroom. These generally have more flavour than the white mushrooms. Left to grow large, Agaricus bisporus become the meaty Portabello (Portabella) mushroom, whose size, shape and pronounced taste make it an instant veggie burger or a vehicle for stuffings and toppings!
Portabello mushroom
Nowadays its fairly common to find Asian mushrooms in Western supermarkets, although they tend to be more expensive. The intriguing shapes and delicate flavour of these mushrooms make them a great favourite with Chefs. Increasingly we are also seeing selections of wild mushrooms in UK supermarkets. But the selection is nowhere near as good as that I found in the supermarket in Saumur, France on my visit last October. Here's a photo of some that I bought then:
And here is a selection of Asian mushrooms:
Commercially cultivated Japanese edible mushroom species. Clockwise from left, enokitake, buna-shimeji, bunapi shemeji, king oyster and shiitake.
Preparation methods for mushrooms can include, grilling, frying, braising, roasting, stir-fry, pan fry, and sautéing, or you can serve them raw or marinated in salads or pickle them. You can make them into soups and sauces. They are truly a most wonderful and versatile ingredient. So please enter the The CookingBites Recipe Challenge with your recipes! Or search the internet or your cookery books and post mushroom recipes which you think we might like (please cite source).
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