Halloumi Kebabs

Halloumi Kebabs

Eating with your hands is tradition at a barbecue and these skewers are no exception! The salty halloumi cheese is the perfect complement to the umami-rich mushrooms. Customize these skewers any way you like!

Ingredients

250g halloumi cheese
1 yellow pepper, deseeded
1 red onion
8 large white or crimini mushrooms
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) fresh chopped coriander
juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut the cheese, pepper and onion into even-sized pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oil, coriander, lime, garlic and plenty of ground black pepper. Stir in the cheese, pepper, onion and mushrooms and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins or overnight if preferred. 3. When you’re ready to barbecue the kebabs, thread the cheese and vegetables onto skewers.
4. Place the kebabs over the hot coals, turning occasionally until charred at the edges – about 10 minutes. Brush with leftover marinade juices as you turn them.
5. Serve with a green salad.

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Mushroom Pate board

Citrus-Kissed Mushroom Pâté

Recipe courtesy of The Messy Baker.

Makes about: 1 ½ cups | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
½ red onion, ½-inch thick slices
2 cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup walnut halves
¼ cup soft goat cheese or feta
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon</span
Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms, onions, garlic and thyme. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Spread on the prepared baking sheet. Give a light sprinkle of salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add walnuts and bake 5 more minutes, being careful the walnuts don’t burn.
  3. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the mushroom mixture to cool to room temperature. Remove thyme sprigs.
  4. Transfer the mushroom mixture into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the cheese, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest and orange zest. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped and spreadable, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Taste, adding more salt and pepper, if needed.
  5. Serve at room temperature on bread, crackers, or toast.

 

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Balsamic Roasted Caprese Mushrooms

Balsamic Roasted Caprese Mushrooms

Recipe courtesy of The Tasty Gardner.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 pints small button mushrooms (approximately 25-35 mushrooms)
2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups mini bocconcini cheese, halved
Bunch of basil, torn into 25-35 1″ pieces (or smaller leaves separated)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. If the cavity doesn’t look big enough to fit half and tomato and cheese use a spoon to hollow it out a little bit.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. While oven is preheating toss mushrooms in a bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Once oven is heated place mushrooms cap up on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Reserve the vinegar.
  4. While the mushrooms are roasting in a small saucepan bring the balsamic vinegar up to a low simmer. Stirring occasionally, simmer until it becomes thick and reduced.
  5. Remove mushrooms from oven and place on serving platter. Press a piece of basil into each cavity. Add half a tomato and half a cheese.
  6. Drizzle with reduced balsamic and season with salt and pepper.
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Grilled Mushroom Quesadillas

Grilled Mushroom Quesadillas

Recipe courtesy of The Cookie Writer.

Serves: 2 | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb mushrooms (I used a mix of button, mini bella, and portobello), halved (if using portobello, make sure it is chopped roughly the same size as the other mushrooms for even cooking!)
1 large jalapeno, sliced into rings (optional)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil + more for greasing
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 – 2 cups shredded sharp cheese (Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, etc.)
4 (8 – 10 inch) flour tortillas

Directions

  1. Prepare propane grill by heating three burners over medium-high heat.
  2. While BBQ is heating, slice mushrooms. Combine jalapenos, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add mushrooms and toss until well combined! You can also prepare this mix a day in advance.
  4. Adjust burners to medium heat (looking for 400F-425F.) Lightly oil grill.
  5. Pour mushrooms onto grill, taking care not to lose anything between the bars (looking at you, jalapenos!)
  6. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, trying to maintain 400F-425F temperature. Flip mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until browned to your liking (I like seeing how far I can go without burning them!)
  7. Move to a bowl.
  8. Lower heat to medium-low (350F)
  9. Brush one side of each tortilla with some oil.
  10. Place two, oil-side-down, onto grill. Quickly top each evenly with mushroom mixture and cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, oil-side-up.
  11. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for a few more minutes (keep an eye on them or you may end up with some char like I did!)
  12. Remove from heat, slice, and serve with your favourite toppings!                                     
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Mushroom Pakoras with sauce

Mushroom Pakoras with Mint-Cilantro Dip

This recipe is a bit of a globe trotter. The chickpea batter is inspired by Indian pakoras, yet the mushroom pieces emerge from the oil lightly coated, like Japanese tempura. With its mix of mint, cilantro and lime, the sauce could be Mexican. The mushrooms? Grown right here in Canada. Given the diversity of flavours and ingredients, I’m tagging this an international dish.

While you don’t need a passport to make these, if you’re new to deep frying, you might want to familiarize yourself with the territory before forging ahead.

  1. Small pieces deep fry more quickly and evenly than larger pieces. If your mushrooms are tiny, you can deep-fry them whole, but with standard-sized mushrooms, quartered works best in this recipe.
  2. Use a light, neutral oil with a relatively high smoke point. Canola, peanut, safflower, and sunflower oils are good choices.
  3. Make sure your saucepan has high sides and a heavy bottom for even heat distribution.
  4. Don’t fill the pot with oil more than half way. This prevents splashing and wastes less oil.
  5. Oil heat is crucial to a crisp batter. You’re aiming for 375°F. I use a candy thermometer to monitor the oil, but a simple drop of batter will do the trick. Simply drop a bit of batter into the oil. If it bubbles and rises to the surface, the oil is hot enough. If it burns, it’s too hot. If it sinks, it’s not hot enough.
  6. The oil temperature will drop when you add the pakoras. Make sure it returns to temperature between batches.
  7. Don’t overcrowd the pakoras. They need space to cook evenly. Frying fewer pieces will also help maintain a steady oil temperature between batches.

Mushrooms are an ideal ingredient to start your deep-frying ventures. Their dry exterior means they won’t splutter when they hit the oil. Because they cook quickly, these pakoras can be in and out of the oil in minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Charmian Christie of The Messy Baker.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

Mint-Cilantro Dip

3/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

generous pinch fine sea salt

Mushroom Pakoras

3 cups vegetable oil, divided

8 to 10 white button mushrooms, about 2 inches wide

1 cup chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup club soda

Method

Mint-Cilantro Dip

Place all the dip ingredients in a blender. Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour into a small bowl and set aside while you cook the pakoras.

Mushroom Pakoras

  1. Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towel. Set aside.
  2. Pour all the oil except 1 teaspoon into a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat oil to 375°F while you prepare the pakoras.
  3. Wipe mushroom caps, remove stems and save for another recipe. Cut the cap into quarters. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk chickpea flour, cumin seeds, salt, and cayenne to combine.  Add the crushed garlic and the reserved 1 teaspoon oil. Slowly whisk in the club soda. The batter should be smooth and thick like pancake batter. Add the mushroom pieces and toss to coat evenly.
  5. When the oil has reached 350ºF, use a fork to gently place 6 to 8 pakoras —  one at a time —  in the hot oil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden brown all over. Remove Pakoras with a slotted spoon and place on the paper towels to drain. Continue cooking the pakoras in batches making sure the oil returns to temperature each time.

Serve while still hot with the dipping sauce on the side.

This bite-size snack is perfect for any occasion, from a girls night in to a Super Bowl party. A big thank you goes out to Charmian Christie for sharing this mouthwatering, culinary treat!

 

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