The mushroom cutlets, or breaded mushrooms, are a really tasty and surprising vegetarian main course.
When I was little, the only mushrooms I ate were champignon mushrooms… and canned ones at that! I wouldn’t even try any of the others — very different from today, when they have become one of my favorite ingredients.
I remember that every winter my father came home with pleurotus mushrooms: my family cooked them in every way, while I avoided them decisively. Until one day my mother prepared these cutlets… and, without a real reason, I decided to taste a small piece. I ended up devouring the whole cutlet! That’s where my love for mushrooms was born.
Little tidbit: the ones you see in the photo come from my own cultivation. This year I decided to try it for the first time… and the results were really excellent!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Frying, Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
- 4 king oyster or oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp Grana Padano PDO
- to taste chopped parsley
- black pepper
- salt
- as needed sunflower oil
Preparation
To prepare the mushroom cutlets, start by cleaning them: run them briefly under cold water to remove any impurities.
Bring about one liter of water to a boil in a pot, then immerse the mushrooms and blanch them for only 3 minutes. Drain them and let them rest in a colander for about ten minutes so the excess water drains away.
If you prefer to get organized in advance, you can also blanch them a few hours before, or even the day before.In the meantime, beat the egg in a bowl with a pinch of black pepper. On a wide plate, mix the breadcrumbs with the grated Grana Padano (or another cheese of your choice) and the chopped parsley.
Then coat the mushrooms first in the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure they are well covered.
Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a pan and fry the mushroom cutlets over medium-high heat until they are nicely golden. Halfway through cooking, add a pinch of salt.
Once ready, serve them hot… crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!
Tips
You can also bake the cutlets: line a baking tray with parchment paper, arrange the mushrooms, drizzle a little oil on top and bake at 392°F for about 20 minutes.
