I’ve had a turbulent relationship with the mushroom, as a child, not gonna lie, it was one of the foods I felt better belonged half chewed and shoved down the back of my dad’s recliner lounge. #iwasthatkid
A few years down the track when I began my cheffing apprenticeship at the National Convention Centre, where we catered for 1000+ events. Boxes and boxes of button mushrooms would land on my bench to be sliced. As a newbie to the kitchen and not entirely comfortable with my giant chef’s knife, it was rather intimidating, but I set myself a challenge…. To slice the mushies with my eyes closed. Mission Accomplished!
Now all grown up, I love mushrooms, they are a stock standard ingredient on the weekly shopping list, but when dining out I wouldn’t necessarily order mushroom meals. The $100 voucher kindly gifted to me by Power of Mushrooms, a campaign organised by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association, means I was ordering dishes I might otherwise have not during the month.
Early Saturday morning, coffee calling, we tucked into the usual 17 layers of warmth and headed out for some Canberra mushie yummies. First stop – Pulp Kitchen.
Mushroom Meal/s #1
Cotechino sausage with soft fried egg, gruyere béchamel, button mushroom on toast The Farmhouse Breakfast – Fried eggs, Cumberland sausage, bacon, roast Portobello mushroom, steamed green beans & sautéed potatoes
Three cheese omelette w/ a side of mushrooms
Dang it was delicious, twas the perfect way to start the day.
My mushie gift card still had a few quid on it for the spending, so Sunday morning I ventured out for breakfast at Scope Mount Stromlo Café. If you feed me well at breakfast, there isn’t much of a need for me to eat for the rest of the day.
Mushroom Meal #2
Scope Breakfast – Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms & curried rosti
Ahhhh right… I hear you say! I’m going to sing praises of the fleshy fungus because I was paid to do so. Not the case my friends and I don’t say this lightly either, I generally choose to not write about an experience if I did not enjoy it. It’s likely the Scope gang were having a bad day, but this meal was not at all to my taste, the presentation of the food was not fit for sharing, the service was clunky and I won’t be going back in a hurry either! Feeling rather unsatisfied with that mushroom encounter, I hit the shops up to spend the remaining dollars on dinner for the next few nights.
Mushroom Meal #3
Wild Mushroom Risotto w/ fetta, palm sugar balsamic reduction & herbs from my garden.
This was heaven and hands down the richest, most flavoursome mushroom risotto I have made in yonks.
Mushroom Meal #4
Roast Chicken & Balsamic MushroomsI am reluctant to share too many recipes here on the blog, as I really don’t want it to be all about food. So I ask that you stay tuned, and if you REALLY want to know, shoot me a message and Ill hook you up.
July is mushie month, so if you are a mushroom fan, now is the time to let your friendly fungi flag fly. There are $100 gift cards up for grabs until the end of July. For full details, see here.
So tell me, what’s your go too mushie meal? And do you love to eat out for breakfast on the weekends?
shenANNAgans is Anna Johnston, a 30 – something Aussie gal with an unwavering passion for the Hospitality industry. I love the quirky and unusual, designing events, travelling far and wide and eating food from all around the world. I am coffee blooded, a craft beer enthusiast, wine drinking yogi who enjoys writing about her adventures.
shenANNAgans is Anna Johnston, a 30 – something Aussie gal with an unwavering passion for the Hospitality industry. She loves the quirky and unusual, designing events, travelling far and wide and eating food from all around the world.
A coffee blooded, craft beer enthusiast, wine drinking yogi who enjoys writing about her adventures.
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