Robust everydayness
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 8:39PM 
Mushrooms on toast. Mushrooms on toast. Mushrooms on toast! Or, as pictured, mushrooms and toast.
So that didn't work. Nothing I do, no matter how I say it, can make mushrooms on toast sound as though they are all that exciting. But boy, am I excited about them. In fact, they've been all I want to eat these days.
And so, after a too long absence that has me eager to bring you trays of chocolates and sweets, of cakes miles high and swathed in seven-minute frosting, in my way of saying I'm glad to see you, I'm here instead with a plate full of everydayness. But robust everdayness - toasted bread and a tumble of mushrooms, with their tawny edges tanned and glistening.
Though simple, they are far from plain and even farther from boring. From Jamie at Home, by Jamie Oliver, the mushrooms are meaty, substantial and all-around good stuff.
I made them the first time to share for a November lunch. The next day, I had them again for a solitary late-morning breakfast, free in my singularity to shamelessly drag my toast across the skillet in which the mushrooms had cooked, lest I miss an ounce of their liquor that was left behind.
That first time we ate them as is, piled on slices of grilled bread, and for the second time I perched a poached egg just so. Another time there were irregular chunks of creamy buffalo mozzarella cozied up on the plate.
Never you mind all of that though, to begin I think it best to go with this dish in its purest - straight up, nothing to get in the way of what we have going on here.
What that exactly is, is mushrooms with attitude. The first succulent bite had me sit up straighter and pull my chair an inch closer to the table.
Where I think the draw lies in this dish is in how the the mushrooms are cooked - everything's added in stages to gain the greatest advantage of their qualities. Into a pour of olive oil alone goes the mushrooms, then the garlic, chili and thyme. As they cook, their moisture is released, the aromatics open up and perfume the steam as it puffs from the pan. The liquid condenses soon enough and then it's time to feed in a knob or two of butter, which glosses all, adding richness and roundness. A few drops of lemon, then the transformative ingredient - water - to end. Yes, water.
It's the lynchpin to this whole business of mushrooms on toast, I'm telling you.
That splash of water bubbles up, picking up all the stickiness around the skillet and turning into a surprisingly creamy, absolutely rich gravy. You'll fight for your share. Pick a craggy bread with enough bumps and pockets to catch that sauce and collect it into luscious pools. That's the best way to go.
Since we're chums and catching up, I'll mention that today's toast, the one I'm crummy with right now, is with aged cheddar and chili pepper jam. That one we'll save for another chat. For now, get on those mushrooms.
Jamie Oliver's Ultimate Mushroom Brushchetta
From the book Jamie at Home (Hyperion, 2008).
Recipe here.
autumn, bruschetta, jamie oliver, mushrooms in light lunch, side dish 
Reader Comments (43)
That's sounds exciting enough! Welcome back!
Hi, Tara. I enjoyed this post, as usual, and it makes me want to try the recipe - perfect for the unseasonably cold snowy weather here on the Gulf Islands....
Thanks,
Dan
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! I'm new to your blog and I'm loving your photography and table / food styling! Gorgeous!!!
Mmmmmm. Cooked mushrooms in a salty/savory/heated/oil broth! I can not wait to try this. When I was a child, I detested anything mushroom--even the flavorless sliced ones that came in a can. Now, I greedily snatch fresh ones up from the produce bin weekly. Being an adult is awesome.
Thank you for sharing another mouth-watering post, and welcome back!
Kate
I love mushrooms, it is really a comfort food for me. A foodblogger friend has passed on to me the One Lovely Blog Award and I would like to share it with you. Check it out here http://fragoleefarfalle.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/one-lovely-blog-award/ Thank you.
I, too, love mushrooms, in all their earthiness and meatiness (is that a word?). One of my fave ways to eat the 'shroom is prepared as in your recipe cited above (with chopped onions added in to the saute) and then added to either brown rice or gluten free noodles (if only I could find gluten free bowties!). Thanks for the great description and reminder of my love affair with mushrooms.
Hello!
Just to let you know I've put a link on my blog to your gorgeous blog!
Warmest wishes
Annie
Annie Nichols
www.hotmealsnow.wordpress.com
I can't think of anyone I know who would find mushrooms on toast boring!
DELICIOUS!
I could eat toast every day. I DO eat toast every day! But not usually with mushrooms, so this could start a whole new obsession. Thanks!
This sounds absolutely delicious! Sadly, I have NO mushrooms in the house ... but maybe tomorrow!
GORGEOUS - I want that for dinner NOW (and it's only 4 p.m....)
That just is lovely, that garlic must really give it the flavor.
http://themessenger-bag.blogspot.com
Gorgeous. If you live in a house with a certified mushroom-phile, mushrooms on toast does in fact sound exciting...
I came across this blog searching for ideas for well designed websites. Ha. I stopped and stayed. I made this recipe yesterday for lunch, and then again for breakfast this morning. So easy, and delicious! Had an orange on the side, and a poached egg. Wish I hadn't eaten it all :D
Tara..... cousin.... how have I missed you all these years.... oh, yeah, you didn't have my e-mail address... I've got Crimini & whites in grapeseed oil (no olive)..... cannot wait to try this.... with the poached egg AND buffalo mozza...... I just heard from your Dad.... thank you, Uncle Benji!!!!!
Hello again..... what can I say.... but... oh my.... sigh... I had to make a few adjustments because I did not have all the ingredients.... ie - fresh cilantro instead of thyme, grapeseed oil instead of olive, sourdough english muffins instead of ciabatta and bottled lemon juice.... but it didn't matter.... because it was di-vine.... absolutely.... I wanted to take a picture, but was too hungry....
Very nice. This is obviously a mouth-watering mushroom recipe. I love mushrooms and I always love to try new recipes of mushrooms. For me mushroom is one of the best ingredients and really one of my favorite.