Baked Mushroom Crisp

This mushroom dish is so easy to make that my teenaged son makes it by himself. It's actually adapted from Jamie Oliver's Italian Style Baked Cheesy Mushrooms but we modified it by using Asian mushrooms, and putting the bread layer on top of, instead of under the mushrooms. When we tried putting the bread underneath the mushrooms, they turned mushy after baking. :(  Thus, in this dish, my son opted to put the bread and cheese on TOP of the mushrooms instead, making a crispier texture which is much better than Jamie's version.




BAKED MUSHROOM CRISP
Serves 8

8 slices ciabatta or panini bread, cut into squares
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves garlic, sliced
8 rashers of bacon, sliced into small squares
Sprigs of fresh oregano
4 cups of mushrooms - we used white and brown enoki, button, white and brown buna shimoji)
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup grated gouda or parmesan cheese

Procedure:

1. Start by seasoning the squares of bread. Mix together the olive oil, chilli flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Put the pieces of bread in and mix well with your hands. Set aside.

2. Cut and separate the different mushrooms and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, oregano, chili flakes and bacon. Mix well with your hands.

3.  Get a baking dish and brush it with oil.  Put the mushroom mix into the dish and put them in your oven's broiler for 20 minutes, at 180C to brown and crisp them up.

4.  Take out the mushrooms, then top with the bread. Add more herbs for good measure.

5.  Add the grated cheese on top. Put the dish back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes more, or until the bread is crispy and brown. Top with fresh oregano right before serving.