How can I use up old mushrooms?
This is more a recipe request than a recycling thing but it saves them from the compost heap…
Despite our best efforts, we quite often find ourselves left with a couple of mushrooms when they’re starting to get a bit bruised and, well, a bit slimey. And yet we can’t always bring ourselves to just fling them out.
At what point, should they say hello to Captain Compost? And a few minutes before that, any particular recipes or dishes that hide the fact they’re not as fresh as they might be? Or any other suggestions with things to do with them?
(photo by Mela, c/o sxc.hu)
I find if you peel back the outer layer of skin, it helps them a lot.
I tend to use past-it mushrooms quite a lot – as long as they don’t feel too rubbery to cut, I think they’re fine. I just make sure I cook them really well in a soup or a curry or something.
SaraR
Use them in a spicy curry. The strong flavours mask any suspiciousness of the mushrooms.
Do make sure they aren’t fluffy or anything first of course.
Does anyone know if you can grow more mushrooms by collecting spores from old ones? Or is it more complicated than that?
i make this version of this soup – with my old mushrooms. if i’ve not got any other exciting fresh mushrooms in, i add dried porcini and some other dried mushrooms i get from the chinese supermarket for the mushroom variety. dried mushrooms are your friends.
I usually just slice the remaining mushrooms, fry them and add them to gravy. Beautiful!
You can put them in everything. Pasta, pizza, any kind of stir-fry, anything.
I like to pan fry them in butter (of course) and when they cool I put small to medium amounts – or whatever amount you might like – into a sandwich bag, roll or seal the bag and put the bags into a freezer bag to freeze. You have mushrooms any time you want for gravy, sauce, pizza or whatever
i always have a container of mushrooms in the fridge intended to put on our salad which typically gets shoved to the back and forgotten about. so, i made this up in a jif tonight and it was really delicious. i saute mushrooms with a splash of olive oil in the pan. let them cook about 5 minutes then added a bundle of swiss chard leaves and stems (chopped). let the greens wilt and stems soften. follow with a splash of balsamic vinegar to taste. really yummy quick snack, lunch or side dish.