Oh Mushrooms, where have you been all my life?

I want to start you off with a couple definitions from the trustworthy Merriam-Webster dictionary:

mush·room

noun
\ˈməsh-ˌrüm, -ˌru̇m; chiefly Northern & Midland -ˌrün; dialect ˈmə-shə-ˌrüm, -ˌru̇m, -ˌrün\
1. an enlarged complex aboveground fleshy fruiting body of a fungus

fun·gus

noun, often attributive \ˈfəŋ-gəs\
: any of a kingdom (Fungi) of saprophytic and parasitic spore-producing eukaryotic typically filamentous organisms formerly classified as plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts

I cannot believe people eat mushrooms. I mean, they are fungi, grown in the wild or farmed, usually involving manure, with remnants of that manure on the mushroom when you buy them most of the time. They look pretty amazing though. Up until last week I had thought mushrooms were the most disgusting things ever. It's the texture that got me, the flavour is there for sure, but the texture...

Everywhere I have gone and mushrooms have been involved in the dish, they seem soggy. When something looks soggy or waterlogged, sure I'll try it, I may not eat all of it, but it is rather repulsive having a plate in front of you with mushrooms that look soggy and taste like rubber.

This train of thought ended last week when I acquired some free mushrooms.
I thought to myself, I don't really like mushrooms at all, at least I don't think I do. Let's kick this in a different direction - Mushrooms that I've tasted are usually slippery and rubbery, so how can I counter that?

Crunchy Mushrooms? Is it possible? I got to doing some research and sure enough I came across a recipe that involved mushrooms and a bit of crunch - this got me pretty excited.

This was a pretty simple recipe - and it has actually got me into the realm of mushrooms and now I'm excited to try all different kinds! The above picture was my first attempt, my second attempt I took it a step further with flavour. I will give you my revised recipe though - try it out, comment if you like or don't or if you would change anything. One thing I would change would be the size of mushroom I used. The ones I used were way too big for this.

Crunchy Garlicky Herbed Mushrooms

1 pack small closed cup mushrooms

2 thick slices of bread (your choice on what kind of bread)

1 large egg

2 garlic cloves

Handful of parsley leaves

3 sprigs of fresh oregano

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Get your food processor out for a quick fix on this easy appetizer.

I recommend prepping ingredients before going into anything - this includes getting any pans or cutting boards or anything else that you need out on the counter right aways.

-Get a small pan on the stove on high heat (I'm tempted to say "Full Whack") with about an inch of vegetable oil.

-Brush the dirt off the mushrooms with a paper towel and cut the stems off

-Crush the garlic, taking the paper-like skin off of course, rip the bread into smaller cubes and throw into the food processor along with the parsley, without the stalks, and the oregano leaves. -Whiz that up to a fine grind

-Next beat the egg in a medium bowl and add your pinch of salt and pepper, then add the bread crumb mixture.

-Mix the two up really well, it tends to get a bit sticky when it's all mixed in.

-Take each mushroom and coat with the mixture, set aside on a paper towel or plate

-Now that the oil is heated in the pan, take a pair of tongs (because using your fingers will get you hurt, trust me) and put each bread crumb covered mushroom into the oil

-Cook each side until golden brown, take them out and let them rest on a paper towel

You can add anything you want. Red Chile for a kick, rosemary or thyme, anything! Possibilities are endless. 

Enjoy!