Garlic Mushroom Bread Baskets

So the bread baskets are really more a means of providing a stage for the focus of this recipe, the mushroom filling, but are a handy little food item to know how to make in and of themselves as well.  Both the filling and the baskets are E-Z and so very versatile in their use (just check out the Notes below). 

Garlic Mushroom Bread Baskets

mushroom filling

1 lb white mushrooms
5 tbsp Spanish olive oil
2 heaping tsp minced garlic
lemon, for squeezing
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

bread baskets

slices of soft white or wheat bread
olive oil or butter spray
muffin tin

Brush or wipe off the mushrooms.  Trim off the stem close to the cap and cut into quarters (or halves depending on the size of the mushroom).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat then add the garlic and cook (about 30 seconds) until garlic starts to brown.

Add the mushrooms into the skillet and, stirring often, cooked until all the oil has been absorbed.

skillet will look dry

Reduce heat to low and continue to cook the mushrooms.  When the mushrooms relax and start to releases their juices, turn the heat up to high again and continue to saute for about 4-5 minutes.

mushrooms will release quite a bit of liquid, don't be surprised

When almost all of the juice starts to evaporate, squeeze fresh lemon on the mushrooms in the skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the parley and cook for another 1-2 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  I added a tidge more lemon to mine because, well, I like lemon.

Remove mushrooms from skillet, transfer to a cutting board and with a large knife, chop into littler pieces.  Set aside.

To make the bread baskets, set oven to broil.  Cut the crust off a slice of bread and press it down into the muffin tin.

Lightly spray the bread tops and put in oven under broiler for 1-2 minutes until tips start to brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for a minute.

Flip the baskets over and lightly spray the bottoms.  Put back in oven and cook for another 1-2 minutes, once their little bottoms start to brown, remove and let sit a minute.

pre-brown bottoms

Fill the baskets with the chopped mushroom filling and serve.  They make hearty individual helpings.

NOTES -- Shrooms

Spanish olive oil has a more peppery taste than olive oil and seems a bit more hearty to me, but you could easily substitute olive oil in the recipe with minimal loss of flavor to the dish.

I used a combination of bulk white and cremini mushrooms for some color variety.

Instead of bread baskets, serve the quartered mushrooms with toasted slices of baguette or other crusty breads.  

You can pulse the mushrooms in a food processor to make an easy-to-spread chunky paste that would go nicely with a light cheese on crostini.

As a paste, you could also use the mushrooms to make a thickened gravy.  The paste would be easy to blend in and would give it some texture too.

The chopped mushrooms would also work really well as a taco filling or a sandwich addition or smothering a tasty serving of filet mignon.

NOTES -- Baskets

First a shout out to Papa Guinea Pig for the bread basket idea.

The key to making the baskets is to use a soft, malleable bread so that it will conform to the shape of the muffin tin before you bake it.

The baskets make a nice holder for other things too, like chicken, tuna or egg salad, or serve a trio of them for a brunch.  And (great idea from Mama Guinea Pig) they would make awesome little individual servings for classic spinanch dip too!