balsamic thyme mushroom & potato fry-up

I like to make myself a good brunch on Fridays.

You see, I don't work on Fridays. I'm all relaxed... I potter around the kitchen, and I really get in touch with my ingredients.

I'll take the time to breathe in the scent of thyme.

I'll lick a bit of balsamic reduction off my fingers.

There are certainly plenty of things for which I can be thankful on Fridays.

balsamic thyme mushroom & potato fry-up.

This pan-fried mushroom and potato dish with shallot, thyme and balsamic vinegar... it's one of those things. It's vegan, but the mushrooms provide a meaty component to the dish, and it's gluten-free, but the potato satisfies those carb cravings. The shallots are deliciously charred, the thyme fragrant, the balsamic vinegar sweetly acidic.

Hearty, yet not too heavy. Robust, yet still quite gentle. My kind of brunch.

some of the ingredients...

pan-fried mushrooms and potatoes with shallot, thyme and balsamic vinegar

2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 French shallot (60g), thinly sliced
1 medium potato (150g), thinly sliced
10 small-to-medium button mushrooms (150g), sliced in half
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat up a couple tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and fry the garlic, shallot and potatoes.
When the potatoes start to char a little around the edges, put in mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and thyme leaves. Slosh in an extra tablespoon of olive oil, too, and even a little bit of water, if the pan looks too dry.
Stir-fry until mushrooms soften, then season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, add an extra dash of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.
Try this with toast... perhaps with a gently cooked egg encasing a perfectly runny yolk. And it doesn't just have to be for brunch or breakfast, of course. It would also make a great side with your other main meals!

pan-fried mushrooms and potatoes with shallot, thyme and balsamic vinegar.

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balsamic portobello mushroom burger with bocconcini cheese, fried egg, lettuce and tomato

Why, hello, handsome.

I know there are plenty of you out there who simply refuse to believe in vegetarian burgers. But just bear with me for a moment. As a huge mushroom enthusiast, I want to share my joy with you in regards to my unprecedented mushroom burger success this weekend.

Portobello mushrooms. Also known as portabella mushrooms or field mushrooms. And very delicious.

The burger I am about to introduce is a juicy, sexy ol' hunk of mushroomy goodness, dewy with a lush balsamic vinegar dressing that winks with the piquancy of crushed garlic, shallot and herbs. The bocconcini exudes a creamy self-assurance, while the fried egg brings a little attitude. And ever so reliably, lettuce, tomato and crusty bread brings the whole package together. Yes. Yes, I think I'm in love.

Portobello mushroom marinating in a tangy dressing made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and shallot.

balsamic portobello mushroom and bocconcini burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato (makes 2)

2 large field/portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
8 baby bocconcini or 2 regular bocconcini, thickly sliced (may be substituted with other melting cheese)
a few lettuce leaves (I used green oak lettuce; spinach or rocket/arugula will also work well)
a few tomato slices
sea salt, black pepper and dried or fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme, etc.) to taste
2 eggs
4 slices of toasted crusty bread

- Combine garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a liberal pinch each of sea salt, black pepper and herbs in a mortar. Grind, pound and mix well with the pestle to create a marinade and brush or drizzle this mixture generously over the portobello mushrooms. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss lettuce leaves and tomato together in any leftover marinade and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F fan-forced (200°C/390°F conventional).
- Place the marinated portobello mushrooms gills side up in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- While you wait for the mushrooms to cook, fry the eggs to your liking, keeping each one separate, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Scatter bocconcini slices on top of the mushrooms and bake for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is just melted. Retrieve mushrooms from oven.
- To assemble each burger, layer lettuce leaves, one mushroom (cheese side up), a slice or two of tomato, one fried egg and more lettuce on a piece of bread, and top off with another piece of bread.
- Enjoy with wild abandon, casting aside all unreasonable thoughts of maintaining any sense of decorum.

Bocconcini mushroom burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato.

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a taste of the forest: chanterelles for breakfast

barn-laid eggs, ficelle and chanterelles

Today is my day off, and I have been lusting after the truffles at The Vegetable Connection for awhile now, so I decided to pay them a visit this morning for some truffle goodness. Unfortunately, when I got there, I was informed that they had all sold out. They did, however, still have some fresh wild chanterelle mushrooms from France, which at a whopping $120/kg don't come cheap, so I bought a modest 50 grams. On the way back, I popped by Babka for a ficelle, which is like a baguette but thinner.

As I had never used chanterelles before, I decided to keep it simple, so I made omelettes.

the finished product

Ingredients:

50g chanterelles, sliced

4 eggs (I used eggs that were 50g each, so 200g total)

1 tablespoon pure cream

knob of butter

ficelle

fresh slices of lemon

salt and pepper to taste

- whisk eggs and cream in a bowl, set aside.

- add butter and chanterelles to a pan, cook till chanterelles are slightly soft but still firm, set aside.
- add more butter to the pan, and start on the omelettes.

- omelette #1: I poured half the egg mixture into the pan, waited till it was nearly done, added half of the chanterelles, and folded.

- omelette #2: I poured the rest of the egg mixture into the pan, and while the mixture was still semi-fluid, I scattered the remaining chanterelles on top. After the chanterelles sank in a little and were secured into the body of the omelette, I flipped it over.

- add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

- serve with sliced ficelle

chanterelle omelette #1, resting on a plate

chanterelle omelette #2, perched on a fork

I  loved the chanterelles! They had a gorgeous earthy flavour, and the simplicity of the dish suited them very well. I was happy with both the omelettes, but for me, the first one was much better as the lovely taste of the buttered-up chanterelles was more distinct. And in the end, this luxurious breakfast ended up costing less than, say, if we'd gone for eggs benedict at a cafe - it did take a little more time and effort, but with ingredients this good, I say it's worth it.

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