Mushroom

All mushrooms are fungi (not actually a vegetable) and contain almost no fat and very little sodium.

Button mushrooms can be eaten raw or used in stir fries, casseroles and sauces. As the button mushroom develops it becomes a cup and is good to stuff, grill, sauté or barbecue. Further growth produces flat mushrooms that can be stuffed, baked, roasted and used in stir fries and soups. Honey brown mushrooms are golden brown as their name suggests and they have a more robust flavour than white mushrooms. Use them in risottos, soups and sauces. Fresh shiitake mushrooms have a brown outer and tough stems. Use the stem to flavour stocks, soups and sauces. The Japanese call these the "king of mushrooms". Oyster mushrooms come in a variety of shades from cream through to pink, grey and light golden brown. The flesh is soft and delicate. Remove the tough stems close to the flesh and use them to flavour stock. Wipe them rather than soaking or washing

Season

All year round

Selection

Choose those with a firm texture and even colour with tightly closed caps.

Storage

Keep them briefly in a paper bag in the bottom crisper of the refrigerator, where they can benefit from cool air circulation.

Nutrition

They are full of essential minerals, B-complex vitamins and are the only 'vegetable' that contains vitamin D. Good source of riboflavin and niacin, they contain no fat or cholesterol.