Funghi gratinati
Gratinéed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 250g 1/2 lb mushrooms preferably a tender fleshed variety such as oysters or chanterelles
- 125g 4-1/2 oz stale Italian bread or breadcrumbs
- 1-2 cloves of garlic finely minced
- A sprig or two of fresh parsley finely minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- Grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino optional
Instructions
- Clean any grit off the mushrooms with a towel or brush and trim off the bottoms of their stems if they're tough or discolored.
- Lay the mushrooms out in a single layer in a well-greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- If using stale bread, remove the crusts and break up your slices into pieces, then wiz them in a food processor until you have breadcrumbs, taking care that they're not too fine.
- Place the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl, add the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and, if using, the grated cheese. Drizzle with enough olive oil to thoroughly moisten all the crumbs. Mix well. The texture should resemble wet sand.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the mushrooms.
- Place the baking dish in a hot (200C/400F) oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked through (but not dried out) and the breadcrumb topping is nice and golden brown, as pictured above. If the mushrooms are cooked but the breadcrumbs not as brown as you'd like, you can run the dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with some more minced parsley for color if you like.