Appetizers

SOUPS & SALADS  |   LIGHT FARE & HEARTY MEALS

Whole White
ANTIPASTO FLAT MUSHROOMS
  • 4 large (about 125g each) flat Continental Mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 3 large marinated artichokes, thinly sliced
  • 60g small semi-dried tomatoes
  • 60g roasted marinated capsicum, chopped
  • 80g olives, pitted and flesh chopped
  • 60g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tbs thyme leaves
  • ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat a grill on medium-high. Brush both sides of mushrooms with 1 tbs oil. Place, stalk side up, onto grill tray and cook for 6 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 or 6 minutes or until golden. Add artichokes, tomatoes, capsicum and olives to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 - 3 minutes or until warm. Remove from heat and stir in feta and thyme. Place mushrooms onto serving plates, top with antipasto mixture. Season with pepper and serve with crusty bread if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Whole White
CRISPY HERB-CRUMBED MUSHROOMS
  • 3 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1.4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tbs finely chopped chives
  • salt and ground
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 200g Continental Mushrooms
  • 200g Continental Brown Mushrooms
  • canola oil, for deep frying
Preheat oven to 150ºC. Place whisked eggs in a shallow bowl. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, chives and salt and pepper in another shallow bowl. Dip 1 mushroom into eggs and then coat well in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing breadcrumbs to secure. Place on a plate and repeat using remaining mushrooms. Heat oil in a medium saucepan or wok over medium heat. Deep-fry mushrooms in batches, turning occasionally, for 3 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm mushrooms with lemon wedges if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Whole White
MAKE-ME-DROOL MUSHROOMS
  • 1/4 cup of oil
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic
  • 1 inch of fresh ginger
  • 1 fresh green chilli
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • Handful of fresh coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala
  • 8oz Continental Sliced Mushrooms

Heat 6 tablespoon of oil for about 1 minute on high heat and then add:

  • 2 medium sized onions chopped
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic chopped, depending on how partial you are to garlic
  • 1 inch of ginger chopped

Heat onion mixture on medium heat for about 10 minutes, it is best not to let mixture stick to the bottom of the pan, add some water if the mixture starts sticking. After 10 minutes add:

  • 1 small chilli cut lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
Stir in spices. Add a can of tomatoes or 4 peeled fresh tomatoes. Cover the pan and cook sauce on medium heat for about 10 minutes, afterwhich you should have a nice thick sauce. Test the spices, if the sauce is too hot for your liking, or you would like to make it creamier then add about 3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt. Add mushrooms to sauce, turn the heat up and keep stirring. Turn down the heat after the mushrooms are nicely covered by sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes add a handful of coriander leaves, chopped. Also add 1/4 teaspoon of garam nasala. Serve with rice or chapattis.

Variation with spinach

Add 1/2 pound of chopped baby spinach leaves instead of coriander and heat for a further 5 minutes before serving.

Variation with sweet peppers

Add 2 sweet peppers, cut into chuncky pieces with the onion mixture.

Serves: 3-4

Whole White
MUSHROOM AND ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
  • 200g Continental Mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium zucchini, grated
  • 2 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • salt & ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2/3 cup self-raising flour
  • 200g country-style natural yoghurt
  • canola oil for frying
  • 100g smoked salmon, shredded
Combine mushrooms, zucchini, 1 tbs parsley, egg yolks and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Stir in flour and 2 tbs yoghurt, mix until well combined. Using electric hand-beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold one-third into mushroom mixture until just combined. Gently fold in remaining egg whites. Pour oil into a large frying pan to a depth of 1cm and heat over medium heat. Spoon 2 heaped tablespoons of fritter mixture into oil and slightly flatten. Cook fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Stir remaining parsley through the remaining yoghurt. Serve fritters topped with yoghurt and smoked salmon.

Makes 12

Whole White
MUSHROOM BRUSCHETTA
  • 8 oz Continental Mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1/3 cup
  • Salt and pepper
  • 16 thick Italian bread slices
Finely chop mushrooms. Heat 2 tbsp (25 ml) of the oil in skillet. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, over medium heat, 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat; toss with tomatoes, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Place bread slices on baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining oil; broil until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon mushroom mixture on top of each bread slice.

Makes 16 slices