Oyster Mushrooms with Corn/Pepper Relish and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

250 g stemmed Oyster Mushrooms - wiped clean

2 – 4 tblsp olive oil

Dried oregano

Freshly ground pepper

200 g corn (one small tin)

3 medium sized bell peppers (yellow, red and orange) washed, seeded, sliced or diced

2 – 4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup coarsely sliced scallions

¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

100 g fresh goat cheese - cut into 4 thick slices

Fresh herbs for garnish

Preparation Method

Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle mushrooms with dried oregano and freshly ground pepper, to taste, and roast in hot oven for about 10 – 15 minutes or until mushrooms soften and are thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and set aside while preparing corn relish.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and sauté scallions. Add sliced or diced bell peppers and cook to taste. Add the corn with parsley and mix and lastly, season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, I either layer the mushrooms with the corn relish and top with slices of goat cheese and fresh herbs or I slice the mushrooms diagonally and mix them into the corn relish and then serve on slices of toasted bread with or without the cheese.

Yield: 2 – 4 servings

Tips

If available, use Greek organic Oyster Mushrooms. The tastiest are normally sold at local farmers markets.
Oyster mushrooms are best when cooked. They have high moisture content so they will reduce down quite a lot when cooked.
In a hurry, cook the Oyster mushrooms in a little olive oil in a hot skillet. They’ll be ready in a minute or two!
Adjust amount of mushrooms in this recipe to your own liking and if you prefer, use grilled or oven roasted Portobello mushrooms instead of Oyster mushrooms.
Oyster mushrooms have a delicate aroma and flavor and therefore I prefer to cook them without any frills but if you like a sharper taste then brush the mushrooms, before roasting, with a marinate made with the olive oil, dried oregano, pepper plus 1 tblsp balsamic vinegar and 1 finely chopped garlic clove.
For those of you who don’t like mushrooms try making this dish with grilled eggplants which I like to serve stacked with alternating layers of eggplants, corn relish and cheese!
When in season, instead of tinned corn, use 2 fresh corn husks – husk and silks removed. Just remember that it needs a bit more cooking!
Another truly delicious option. . . .instead of fresh goat cheese use soft Greek Manouri cheese wherever it’s available!