Oyster Mushroom Milanese

This is a veggie take on my absolutely favourite Italian-American dinner. If you’re trying to eat more veg, less meat… this is your answer. These mushrooms are as meaty as veg gets and full of protein. As you can imagine, this is dish is a flavour/texture mouth bomb; crispy breaded mushrooms with a luxurious, classic tomato spaghetti.

I’ve also thrown in a Schnitzel (veal Milanese’s Austrian cousin) twist by adding a ‘Holstein’ sauce of perky capers, parsley and lemon.

Make this vegan by dipping the mushrooms in aquafaba (the liquid from tinned beans/chickpeas) and fry in oil. I like to get my pasta partially cooked so I can enjoy the mushrooms straight out the pan.

ingredients

serves 4

•  3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned generously

• 100g panko breadcrumbs (or other breadcrumbs)

• 2 eggs, beaten

• A splash of milk

• 250g oyster mushrooms, left whole

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 60g butter

• 1 heaped tbsp capers

• A small handful of parsley, chopped

• Juice of ½ small lemon
  For the spaghetti

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 3 big garlic cloves, sliced

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

• 400g spaghetti

• Parmesan, to serve

instructions

Make the pasta sauce first. Warm the olive in a deep saucepan over a medium-low heat and gently fry the garlic until it begins to colour on the edges. Add the tomatoes and plenty of seasoning and leave to simmer for at least 30 minutes until reduced and delicious while you get on with everything else. Add splashes of water if it looks like it’s drying out.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to 2 minutes away from al dente, then drain, keeping 2 cups of cooking liquid and rinse in a sieve under cold water until cool. Put to one side.

Place the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates, and whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate wide bowl.

Coat the mushrooms in flour, then egg mixture, then dredge in the crumbs. Heat the oil and half the butter (the oil prevents the butter from burning) in a heavy, wide frying pan over medium-high heat.

Once the butter and oil are sizzling, add as many mushrooms as you can fit without crowding them, turning, until golden and crisp, around 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a kitchen paper-lined plate and repeat with the remaining mushrooms, keeping any cooked ones in a low oven if you like.

Add at least half a cup of the pasta cooking water to the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the partially-cooked pasta, stirring until it has warmed up and is absorbing the sauce. Add more pasta liquid as needed. Allow to simmer for a moment until it’s looking delicious.

Transfer to plates and sit the cooked mushrooms next to it. Quickly return the frying pan to heat and wipe clean of any breadcrumbs. Add the remaining butter and cook, swirling, until brown and nutty, about 20 seconds. Stir in the capers, parsley and lemon juice and then immediately spoon over mushrooms. Grate over Parmesan, and serve.