I love mushrooms, they cook in seconds and they are loaded with flavour and when you are looking for a good vegetarian meat substitute some of them deliver flavour and texture. Porcini are undoubtedly my favourites with their chestnut, woody flavour and great meaty texture. But supermarkets are now stocking other great mushrooms like shimeji, shitake, enoki and even occasionally white elf.
Don’t be intimidated by the exotic mushrooms, they want to be prepared as simply as possible to allow all that meaty flavour through. I usually pan fry them in a touch of butter, garlic, olive oil and chili. If you are feeding a large group the specialist mushrooms can get pricey so mix them up, plain old brown with the more exotic ones and you will still get plenty of flavour and texture without having to spend a fortune.
Remember when pan frying mushrooms don’t overcrowd the pan or they will lose their juice and broil, rather fry in batches.