Goat's cheese, Pine Nuts and Mushroom Toast

Anybody who knows me well knows that I love Goat's cheese, and when I realised that I also had large mushrooms which needed using in the refrigerator, I combined them all and this mushroom dish came together for a delicious breakfast on a very wet day during the week.

Whilst I kept cooking our meals of course, any routine I seem to have had, disappeared this week. Extreme heat at the beginning of the week, followed by a couple of days of heavy rain with embedded storms, meant that during the latter we were very hesitant about turning on the computer, watching the television or speaking on the phone because of the continuous lightning and thunder. So I did little on the computer, hence the time lapse with writing anything on my blog. It's like anything, the longer you leave it, the  harder it is to get back to it. The rain and the storms were lovely though, and  made me feel quite self indulgent. It was such a relief from the tropical heat. However, it is nice to be writing again.

So I started knitting again and completed one of the dishcloths/washers I started, without too many mistakes  ha, ha, and have started another. I am enjoying the challenge of following a knitting pattern and seeing the pattern develop and work out properly, however I still feel rather guilty about sitting and knitting at times.  It is a practical pursuit though, whilst learning new skills, and it is all part of being able to sit and relax and be absorbed in my own thoughts. Sometimes I suppose it is a throwback to working, that I was always really busy and in demand by library clients and staff that I still feel as if I should be doing something more active. So it really is a luxury that now in retirement I can sit and knit for a while with the music playing, without any external demands, before moving onto another project when I feel ready to. However reading a good book is entirely another matter. That is always ok.

So this is my first attempt at the Waffle Dishcloth Pattern from Homespun Living using Kitchen cotton. The next one will be bigger and better and will have a coloured stripe in it hopefully. I know I am much better at cooking than knitting, but I am practising my knitting. There is an easy baby's jumper in me somewhere waiting to be knitted in the future for my little grandson.

I have a breakfast or brunch recipe here to share with you. It came about quite by accident when I felt like cooking breakfast during the rainy days, and I had all of these ingredients to use. Delicious and also healthy.

If you can buy Portobello mushrooms they are the usual ones to buy for grilling and stuffing, however the large flat barbecue style mushrooms worked well for this dish.

Mushroom toast, with Goat's Cheese and Pine Nuts

4 large flat Barbecue or Portobello mushrooms
60 g hard goat's cheese, chopped
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
2 handfuls of chives, snipped or finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil for drizzling
Homemade or good quality Tomato Relish for garnish, or Caramelised Onion or whatever you prefer
Plain or Seasoned blended salt with mixed herbs and chilli (optional)
Ground black pepper

Serves 2

Let's cook:

Wipe and clean the mushrooms with damp kitchen wrap paper or a clean cloth and remove the stems. I didn't remove the stems for just the two of us as the more mushroom the better, but I would if I was cooking for friends. Save the stems though if you do remove them, as they can be chopped up and used in numerous other dishes, soups etc.

Turn the grill to a high heat.

Place the mushrooms on a foil covered grill tray, or a baking tray.

Drizzle mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil  and sprinkle with a herb flavoured salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. (I used  a SAXA Salt brand of Mixed Herbs & Chilli Blended Salt Flakes which worked well with just the hint of chilli. This can be a personal choice. Use plain salt if you prefer, or none at all)
Place mushrooms under the grill for 3 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the grill, spread the finely chopped cheese over the surface and sprinkle with the pine nuts. The pine nuts will toast under the grill.
Return the mushrooms to the grill for a further 2 minutes.
Remove the grill tray carefully from the oven, and scatter on the chives.
Serve with a garnish of Homemade Tomato Relish, or Caramelised Onion, or wilted spinach. Whatever you prefer.

Enjoy for breakfast or brunch.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog.

Warmest wishes

Pauline