Mushroom & Bannock bites are an easy, affordable and all-Canadian appetizer to serve at your next shindig! Using classic Bannock as a base, these bite-sized treats are packed with Canadian flavours.
This post and recipe for Mushroom & Bannock Bites is my entry to Mushrooms Canada’s FBC2017 Mushroom Appetizer Contest. Open to Canadian Food Bloggers, Mushroom’s Canada has challenged us to create a delicious and easy Canadian appetizer featuring Canadian Mushrooms. I went back to my roots to come-up with a simple, crowd-pleasing appetizer that comes together in just over 30 minutes.
I grew-up in a budget conscious household, which probably explains my passion for sharing affordable recipes. A staple in our diet was mushrooms. I can just remember the smell as my mom stood over a pot, tending to her Mushroom Rice in the cold Winnipeg winters. Dad would use the blend & extend method in his pasta sauces and would snack on Canadian Mushrooms throughout the year for a quick, healthy and filling treat.
Inspired by my love for Canada (and a good party) I created these all-Canadian Mushroom & Bannock Bites. Using a classic and versatile bannock for the base, I pull from my Metis heritage and memories of summers spent cooking bannock on a stick to smother with campfire quick Saskatoon jam. The bannock is then topped with sauteed White Button and Crimini Mushrooms, the two most popular varieties in Canada. From there, the appetizer is crowned with a decadent and rich mushroom gravy made from broth, mushrooms and a secret shot of Canadian Whiskey. If this isn’t suited for a party, I don’t know what is!
These Mushroom & Bannock Bites are made to please a crowd so they are vegetarian, but can easily be made more authentic by subbing the vegetable shortening for lard in the bannock. The bannock, with it’s crispy golden top is the perfect vessel for the fragrant mushrooms and thick, rich mushroom gravy. Your guests won’t be able to resist these bite sized appetizers!
Mushroom & Bannock Bites
Ingredients
Bannock
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening or pure lard
- 3/4 cup water
Mushroom Gravy
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup Crimini Mushrooms chopped
- 1 cup White Button Mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Canadian Whiskey
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Sauteed Mushrooms
- 1/8 cup canola oil
- 10 Crimini Mushrooms each sliced into 5 equal pieces
- 10 White Button Mushroom each sliced into 5 equal pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Prepare bannock by mixing flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl.
- Crumble butter and shortening or lard and mix well with your hands until mixture is mealy. Slowly add water, 1/4 cup at a time to mixture. Mix until mixture is slightly sticky and well formed.
- Roll into a ball and flatten onto lightly greased large baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- In the meantime, prepare the mushroom gravy by melting canola oil into medium sized sauce pan.
- Over medium high heat, add onion, mushrooms and salt and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until tender and fragrant.
- Deglaze pan with Canadian Whiskey. Slowly add vegetable broth and mix well. Add spices and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, blend mushroom mixture until thick and smooth. If mixture is too thick, add additional vegetable broth until desired consistency. Keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bannock from the oven, let slightly cool and then cut into small squares, in a 5x10 pattern.
- In large skillet, heat remaining canola oil. Add mushrooms and salt and sautee for 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and golden. Remove from heat.
- Plate bannock, place 1 Crimini and 1 White Button mushroom slice on each piece of bannock. Top with a tablespoon or so of mushroom gravy and garnish as desired (toothpicks and parsley are shown in photo) Enjoy!
