Mushroom Toast

Published on March 19, 2019 | By

This is not avocado toast which appears to be on every menu and is so ubiquitous these days. I was recently inspired by a restaurant in San Francisco that served mushroom toast as an appetizer. You can do anything with toast, particularly if you have a fresh loaf of homemade bread that is dense and crusty and flavorful. It is just begging for a savory topping. Or maybe something simple like a little olive oil with fresh herbs?

Our local farmers market had fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms this weekend and I couldn’t resist. So, here is my interpretation of what I think I ate in San Francisco last week using local ingredients and my own intuition!

    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh mint
  • 2 TBSP sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 thick slices of firm crusty bread, pan fried

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 TBSP of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, salt, and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon and continue to cook the mushrooms until tender. Remove from heat and add fresh basil and mint. Set aside.
  2. Heat 1 TBSP of oil in a small skillet. Add red onions and cook over low to medium heat until soft. Then add sherry vinegar and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove onions from skillet and place in a small bowl.
  3. Slice the bread into 2 thick pieces. Cut these pieces in half. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in skillet over high heat. Add garlic and bread slices. Turn bread immediately so it is coated lightly with oil. Continue to pan fry until lightly toasted. Remove and place 2 bread halves on each plate.
  4. Measure 1 cup of ricotta into a small bowl. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon and some freshly ground black pepper. Combine well.
  5. To assemble: Spread the ricotta cheese evenly on each piece of toasted bread. Top with the sautéed mushroom, basil, mint mixture. Then divide the sherry vinegar red onions between the 4 mushroom toasts. If you want you may sprinkle each toast with a little more fresh basil and mint to add a little bright green color. Finally, drizzle each piece of toast with the spicy sesame chili oil. Voila!
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