BREADED MUSHROOMS - RÁNTOTT GOMBA

If I had to be a vegetarian, breaded mushrooms would be my replacement of meat, probably because my all time favourite meat dish happens to be breaded cutlets. Deep fried breaded mushrooms is an anytime treat. They go particularly well with cheesy pasta. As appetizers, they are nice dipped into tartar sauce. Hungarians tend to use the caps only, probably because they like to peel their mushrooms. My grandmother always peeled hers. I did an image search and it looks as if nothing changed. Hungarians still peel their mushrooms. On the other side of the spectrum, there is a North American practice not even washing, just wiping the mushrooms. Knowing what mushrooms actually grown in, they ought to be washed well, but peeling them seems a bit of overkill. It is always good idea to wash fruits and vegetables, even the “prewashed” kind or even if you end up peeling off the outer layers. Bacteria can spread from the peel to hands and from there to the mouth. Our food comes from all over the world these days and the standards of food production and our resistance to bacteria are not uniform.

BREADED MUSHROOMS

4 cups medium to large mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
1 well-beaten egg
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying
salt

• Wash the mushroom and slice them thickly. Do not salt them yet, salt would soften them.
• On three separate plates, place flour, an egg, and fine breadcrumbs.
• Beat the egg with a fork until slightly frothy.
• Roll the mushroom slices into the flour; coat well.
• Next dip them in the beaten egg; coat well.
• Finally dip them in the breadcrumbs, coating well.
• Set out a plate with paper towel and a slotted spoon nearby.
• In a large skillet, place enough oil for deep-frying.
• Heat the oil to medium hot and drop in the breaded mushroom slices.
• Do not crowd the pan, leave room between the mushrooms.
• Flip them over without puncturing them and fry on both sides. The mushrooms will fry up very quickly.
• Fry them to a golden crisp.
• Remove mushrooms with the slotted spoon and place them on the paper towel lined bowl to drain.
• Sprinkle with salt and serve.