Cooking
Garlic Butter Mushrooms on Toast
Buttery mushrooms on toast are proof that a quiet lunch can still feel like an event.
For two generous toasts, use 250 g mushrooms, 40 g butter, 2 garlic cloves, 2 thick sourdough slices, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Chestnut mushrooms work beautifully, but use whichever mushrooms look good.
Step 1 — Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and slice them into chunky pieces. Avoid soaking them in water; mushrooms have enough going on already.
Step 2 — Put a frying pan over medium-high heat and melt half the butter. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for a minute so they can take on real colour.
Step 3 — Stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms are browned and their moisture has mostly cooked away. Add the remaining butter and let it foam around the edges.
Step 4 — Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Garlic burns quickly, which is its way of asking not to be ignored.
Step 5 — Toast the sourdough until crisp outside and still soft in the middle. Season the mushrooms with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Step 6 — Pile the mushrooms onto the toast and spoon over every last buttery pan juice. Eat while standing at the kitchen bench if that is where the best light is.