I know it’s truly outa vogue to talk about another season’s bounty, but a jolt back to colder weather today, had me thinking about baked, woodsy, mushrooms for lunch.
It is autumn (not spring) when the local forest is chock-full of mushroom foragers, and the market stalls are overcrowded with funghi. But even today at the end of March, I scooped up some trusty, fresh prataioli or field mushrooms, and tossed them together with garlicy toasted bread, pancetta, mozzarella and seasonings to make a meal that felt like a baked hug. Warm, just lovely, and nourishing.
The recipe came my way some years back from our enthusiastic fruttivendola, or fruit & veg seller. She described it as having a simple, layered construction. Usually, any mention of “simple” by an Italian cook is a red flag to me – their idea of “simple”, and my idea of “simple” being galaxies apart, but with this recipe, I agree – it really is simple. Simple, and ohh soooo tasty. .
In her instructions, I remember the fruttivendola using the word spezzattato (those double, double consonants are just so trippy) or torn repeatedly. The chargrilled bread was to be torn for the bottom layer. For the middle, torn mushrooms seasoned with pancetta, chilli, garlic and thyme. And for the final layer, torn chunks of mozzarella were to be strewn evenly, and all over the top. I actually started to wonder if she herself tore up the ingredients (she was so immaculately presented), or was she altering the method to sell me on the recipe. I suspect she knew that I was a hands-right-in-there type of cook, and that her words would strike a chord.
The recipe is a loose one so, adjust away to suit any ingredient quantities you might already have, or the size of your dish. Basically, you want the chunky bread cubes to cover the base in a single layer (gaps are fine), while the mushroom/pancetta layer wants to be a good bit deeper. Don’t be tempted as I have been on occasion, to bulk out the dish with lashings of toast. You want all the bread to be soaked in the gorgeous juices of the mushies as they soften. Too much, and some of the bread will end up less juice-infused and less tasty. The torn mozzarella will be patchy but will spread out as it begins to bubble and melt. As a guide, I use a rectangular baking dish 23 x 30cm and the quantity feeds 4 when served with a salad.
While a mixed bag of seasonal mushrooms can really add an extra dimension to this dish, using your bog-standard, field mushies (like I did) can create something truly wonderful. Ditto, using regular mozzarella cheese over the more costly buffalo. While I adore the buff, I’d save it for when the mozzarella is really in the spotlight. It’s the combo of ingredients here that creates the magic. See what you think.
Baked Cheesy mushrooms ~ Funghi al Forno con Formaggio
- 10 thick slices of bread
- Olive oil
- 1 large garlic, peeled
- 400g mushrooms, rubbed clean, dirty ends removed, then torn or sliced
- 100g smoked pancetta in small cubes or about 8 slices of bacon rashers, roughly chopped
- Few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- Sprinkle of dried chilli flakes
- 250g mozzarella
Preheat the oven to 180º C.
Heat a chargrill plate over a high heat. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and toast on the grill until they have beautiful char marks. Remove from the heat. Halve the garlic, then use one half to rub over the surface of one side of the toasted bread. Finely chop the remaining garlic and set aside.
Tear the toasted bread into chunks and spread over the bottom of a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
In a large bowl, add the mushrooms, pancetta, thyme, chilli flakes and the remaining garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, lightly toss everything, allowing all the flavours to mingle. Sprinkle this mixture over the torn bread.
Tear up the mozzarella, placing the cheese evenly over the top of the mushrooms in large chunks. Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Bake for around 30mins, until the mushies are softened and the cheese is beginning to melt and turn a gorgeous golden hue.
Serve with a green salad.
