I had the most wonderful opportunity last week to attend a “Mushroom Masterclass” at the cooking school of the lovely Brisbane chef, Dominique Rizzo and her cooking school, Putia Pure Food Kitchen at Banyo. It was a great way to showcase mushrooms, prepared in a very natural way with whole food ingredients. I wish I could capture the smells that were emanating from the kitchen that night. I was in mushroom heaven!
Along with 20 or so other mushroom enthusiasts, we broke into groups and were all given a dish to prep. Mushrooms were in abundance, obviously, and there were plenty of button, Swiss browns, shitake, enoki, oyster, shimgi and the larger flat mushrooms, ready for stuffing. The kitchen was filled with smells of fresh herbs, lemon and garlic as well. Mushrooms are such a versatile ingredient and, if you’re like me, you’re all motivated to create a wonderful dish when you’ve bought them home from the market but usually just saute them and serve on meat or in something like a Stroganoff. They are great as the ‘star’ of the dish.
A serve of mushrooms provides over 20% of the daily needs for 7 essential nutrients; the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin, and the minerals selenium, chromium and copper.
They are full of so many other nutrients and have amazing health properties. Recent studies have proven that consuming just 3 mushrooms per day (approximately 100gm) could have an effect on preventing new breast cancers. Studies showed that women who ate even just 1/2 a mushroom per day had a 65% lower risk of developing breast cancer. There have also been studies conducted which show that eating mushrooms also lowers the risk of prostate cancer in men. With such wonderful health properties and a beautiful taste, it’s a wonder we’re not eating them every day.
The group that I was in was in charge of making Mushroom, Herb & Tofu Dumplings. Lots of gorgeous varieties of mushrooms, tofu, onion, garlic, chopped fresh herbs, almond meal, seasoning, all chopped fine and blended with the tofu and then rolled in black and white sesame seeds and deep fried. They were absolutely gorgeous and what a little bundle of yummy goodness with all that protein.
This is the end result. I could ‘pop’ a couple of those every day.
I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Dominique a couple of years ago when she was the judge in a cooking
competition I was in. She is passionate about whole foods, mushrooms and using natural, fresh ingredients. The Putia Pure Food Kitchen is located in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, in Banyo and is open Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast and lunch and Friday and Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Attached to this lovely little cafe is a cooking school where cooking classes featuring quick and easy mid night dinners, vegetarian and whole food classes, classes for kids, Indian, Spanish, Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, the Middle East and gluten free foods are on offer. You better get in quick because they book out very fast.
Mushrooms were being stir fried, rolled into rice paper rolls, stuffed into other mushrooms, baked and even baked into a flourless chocolate cake (although on this occasion we forgot the mushrooms – but the cake was still delicious).
Some of the other dishes on offer that night which were all made by the class were Roast Pumpkin Stuffed Mushrooms, Asian Mushroom & Kelp Noodle Rice Paper Rolls, Mushroom and Quinoa Pate, Asian Mushroom Salad, Hazelnut Espresso Mushroom Cake and my absolute favourite, a Mushroom & Sage Tart with Herb Crumble.
Even as I type those words and look at the above picture, I’m salivating. The shortcrust pastry was made with a lot of different whole grains but was still short and crumbly and very, very tasty. The filling was made with dark field mushrooms, onion, lemon juice, fresh sage, cream cheese and eggs. A crumble of breadcrumbs, roasted walnuts, garlic, lemon zest and chopped parsley was added to the top before baking. If you ever get the chance, you really should try making a savoury cheesecake. I think I much prefer it to a sweet cheesecake.
My plate was overflowing with a sample of everything on offer and I was full to the brim by the time I finished. It was a lovely night and a very informative one, learning just how versatile mushrooms really are, whether they’re used in your ordinary, every day family meals or mixed simply with whole food ingredients, fresh herbs and presented in different ways.
The Power of Mushrooms
www.powerofmushrooms.com.au
Putia Pure Food Kitchen
Shop 4/17 Royal Parade
Banyo Qld 4014
Ph: 07 3267 6654
www.putiapurefood.com.au
Disclaimer: I was a guest of The Mushroom Growers Association of Australia to the Mushroom Masterclass at Putia Pure Food Kitchen. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
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