Foodie Fridays: Buttery Garlic Baked Mushrooms

Lately I have been wandering happily down memory lane, and this week I continue to sample some of the recipes from the Australia and New Zealand cookbooks I mentioned last week.  The recipe I selected for today comes from a quirky little spiral-bound cookbook I bought in New Zealand called Fiordland Cook Book (1990?), published by the Rotary Club of Fiordland (did you know that New Zealand has fiords?).  My husband and I spent a delightful couple of days in the vicinity of Milford Sound on our second trip to New Zealand.  I will always remember the boat tour we took in the sound -- the scenery was breathtaking, and dolphins played in the water in front of the boat.

We spent the night at a wonderful old farmhouse bed and breakfast in nearby Te Anau, where we were served afternoon tea and dinner as well as breakfast.  All of the food was homemade and delicious.  I don't think the mushroom dish I've chosen from my cookbook was served, but I was looking for a nice side dish for a brunch and this one seemed perfect.  I had to modify the recipe a bit, mostly because the instructions were rather vague, but the end result is tasty, rather like deconstructed stuffed mushrooms.  Be sure to serve the mushrooms with plenty of the crumb mixture, which is where the flavor comes from in this dish.

Buttery Garlic Baked Mushrooms

1 lb. button mushrooms, halved if large
1/2 C. breadcrumbs
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper to taste
4 T. butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice

Grease the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish and add the mushrooms, overlapping slightly if necessary.  Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle over the mushrooms.  Stir together the melted butter, garlic, and lemon juice.  Drizzle over the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until browned and the mushrooms are tender (I stirred everything once about halfway through the cooking time).  Cool slightly before serving.  Serves 4.

The bird on the cover is the takahe, a rare New Zealand species
found in Fiordland.  They are sitting under a New Zealand tree
fern, probably the endemic Cyathea bealbata, the silver tree
fern or ponga.