How to make marvellous mushroom canapés


Duck and mushroom dumplings


How about adding the power of mushrooms to some of your favourite party food?  It's a simple way to add flavour plus give a dish extra health stars.

Which mushrooms to blend? Use white and cup mushrooms with chicken and pork and the stronger flavours of swiss browns, portabellas and flats with beef and lamb mince.

Here's a seven canapés that are both easy to make and easy to eat.  Make them for the family or treat your friends with mushroom power.
  • Mushroom humus
  • Duck and mushroom steamed dumplings 
  • Mushroom and herb fritters
  • Mushroom lamb and chorizo balls
  • Stuffed mushrooms Kilpatrick
  • Mushroom and chorizo empanadas
  • Mushroom and pork sausage rolls





Stuffed Mushrooms Kilpatrick

Ingredients
60g butter, softened
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
Olive oil cooking spray
8 slices sourdough bread
8 flat mushrooms, trimmed
3 rashers rindless bacon, diced
2-3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Lemon wedges, to serve

Preparation

  1. Preheat barbecue plate on high and barbecue grill on medium. Combine the butter, garlic and three-quarters of the parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and beat until well combined.
  2. Lightly spray both sides of bread and mushrooms with oil. Barbecue the bread on the grill for 2-3 minutes each side until toasted. Barbecue the mushrooms on flat plate, stem side down first, for 3-4 minutes each side until tender. Add the bacon to the hot plate and cook, tossing for 1 minute until golden.
  3. Drain the mushrooms on paper towel. Spread a little garlic butter over each piece of toasted bread. Top each with a mushroom, then sprinkle with bacon and remaining parsley. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.





Mushroom and Chorizo Empanadas

Ingredients
Cream cheese pastry
125g cream cheese
125g butter
1 cup plain flour

Filling
Cup mushrooms
Chorizo
Manchego cheese

Other
1 jar Egg mayonnaise
Olive oil, used to sauté 
Paprika, for seasoning
Lemon, squeezed
Eggs, for egg wash

Preparation

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together, then fold in flour. Rest in fridge for 30 mins then roll out.

2. Use a scone cutter to cut into circles, spoon in filling, brush edges with egg wash and shape into crescents.

3. Brush egg wash on top and bake in 180 degree oven for about 20 mins, keep checking them, until a light gold colour.

4. For filling I used finely chopped mushrooms sautéed in olive oil, then added finely chopped chorizo, sprinkling of paprika, then grated manchego cheese (but you can vary the fillings, sometimes I use ham or pancetta)

5. For dipping sauce, add a few sprinkles of paprika and a squeeze of lemon to good quality egg mayonnaise.

6. Serve empanadas warm or hot






Mushroom and Pork Sausage Rolls

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
 400g Cup mushrooms, finely diced
 400g pork mince  
1 cup tasty grated cheese
6 green shallots, thinly sliced
 2 eggs
 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
 3 sheet ready rolled puff pastry, partially thawed
 2 tbs sesame seeds sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven 200°C fan forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add oil and mushrooms, cook, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes until all moisture evaporates. Set aside to cool.
  2. Drain excess moisture from mushrooms and transfer to a large bowl. Add pork mince, cheese, shallots, 1 egg, breadcrumbs and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
  3. Lightly whisk the remaining egg. Cut the pastry in half. Spoon pork and mushroom mince mixture along one long edge; brush the opposite edge of a pastry sheet with beaten egg. Roll up to form a sausage. Press pastry to secure. Repeat with remaining mixture and pastry.
  4. Brush the top each roll with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut each roll into 4 or 6 smaller ones. Place onto baking trays pastry seam side down.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling cooked through. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.

Tip: For Halloween, cut out pastry shapes like spiders or ghosts and place onto of the rolls before baking







Mushroom Hummus

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
400g cup mushroom, chopped
300g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon tahini
½ lemon, juiced
½ cup chopped chives
Crackers or crispbread, to serve

Preparation
1.     Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cumin. Cook, string often for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.

2. Increase heat to high. Add the mushrooms. Cook, string occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the moisture evaporates. Set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, place the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons yoghurt, the tahini, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ¼ cup oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to medium bowl. Process the mushroom mixture until finely chopped.

4. Stir the mushroom mixture, remaining yoghurt and 1/3 cup chives into the chickpea mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight, if time permits.

5. Sprinkle the remaining chives over the hummus. Frizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Serve 2with crackers or crisp bread.





Mushroom and Duck Wontons

Ingredients
1 tbs peanut oil
300g Cup mushrooms, chopped
100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
400g cooked duck, roughly chopped 
1/4 cup salted peanuts
 4 green onions, roughly chopped
 2 tbs hoisin sauce
40 gow gee wrappers wrapper

Preparation

  1. Heat a medium frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to cool 15 minutes.
  2. Place the duck in a food processor with the peanuts and green onions and pulse until finely chopped, transfer to a bowl. Drain any excess moisture from the mushrooms and process until very finely chopped, add to the duck mixture. Add hoisin and mix until well combined.
  3. Brush half the gow gee lightly with water. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of mushroom duck mixture into the centre of one gow gee then fold in half to form a semicircle. Pinch edges together to seal.
  4. Half fill a large frying pan or wok with hot water & bring to the boil over high heat. Line a large bamboo steamer with baking paper and arrange the gow gee about 2cm apart, in the steamer. Place the steamer over the boiling water, cover with the steamer lid and cook, in batches, for 4 minutes or until pastry is tender. Serve hot with extra hoisin for dipping.

Tip 1: Gow gees can be deep fried instead of steamed if you like.
Tip 2: Gow gee wrappers are available, fresh from Asian food stores and large supermarkets.
Tip 3: Wontons were steamed not fried





Asian lamb and Mushroom Meatballs

Ingredients
400g button, cup or flat mushrooms
3 tbs vegetable oil
 1 bunch coriander
3 green onions (shallots), roughly chopped
400g lamb mince
 2 tbs Thai red curry paste
1 egg, beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for cooking
Iceberg lettuce leaves, sweet chilli sauce & lime wedges, to serve

Preparation
  1. Finely chop mushrooms by hand or alternatively, pulse in a food processor to finely chop.
  2. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until all moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Drain any excess moisture and transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Wipe pan clean.
  3. Clean and cut two roots from coriander. Place roots into a food processor, add green onions and 1 cup coriander leaves. Pulse until finely chopped. Add coriander mixture, mince, curry paste, egg and breadcrumbs to mushrooms Mix until well combined. Shape 1 tbs of mixture into balls with damp hands.  Place onto a tray, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour if time permits (this helps hold meatballs together when cooking).
  4. Heat remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, in batches, shaking pan often, for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve with lettuce leaves, sweet chilli sauce and lime wedges.


Mushroom and Herb Fritters 

Ingredients 
2 tbs olive oil 
400g button mushrooms, sliced 
11/3 cups self-raising flour, sifted 
1 cup milk
 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced 
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped 
Extra light olive oil, for shallow frying 
Tzatziki dip, to serve 

Preparation

  1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring often for 6 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool completely. Drain any excess moisture from the mushrooms and transfer to a bowl.
  2. Combine flour and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk the milk and eggs in a jug with a fork until well combined. Pour into the flour mixture and stir gently until smooth. Add mushrooms, chives and parsley. Stir gently to combine.
  3. Add enough oil to a large non-stick frying pan to cover the base. Heat over medium heat until hot. Drop heaped spoonfuls of mixture into pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles appear on the top surface. Turn fritters over carefully and cook a further 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover with a clean tea-towel to keep warm while cooking the remaining fritters.
  4. Serve at room temperature topped with a dollop of tzatziki dip.
  5. Note: Tzatziki dip is a yoghurt and cucumber dip found in the fridge section of the supermarket.

Disclaimer:  Recipes courtesy of Australian Mushroom Growers.