Creamy, salty, crunchy...

... is there a better combination? I came up with this while standing in the centre of the salad isle (blocking trolley traffic), with that vacant, slightly puzzled expression you see so often in grocery stores at 6:30 on weekday evenings. I wanted something tasty, healthy and satisfying. Et violà! I think they'd work best as canapés. (I wasn’t organised enough to take a picture of the mushrooms, so I’ve included a pic of my slippers in sunlight, for no reason in particular, other than I think it’s pretty.)

Roasted mushrooms with anchovy croutons

Makes 10

Anchovy croutons
6 white anchovy fillets
3 tbsp olive oil (or the oil from the tin/bottle)
2 handfuls stale ciabatta, cut into 1cm cubes

Avo topping
1 large avocado
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 handful basil, chopped
Juice of half a lemon

10 large Portobello mushrooms, roasted

For the anchovy croutons: Add the anchovies and the oil to a frying pan over a medium heat and cook until the anchovies melt. Add the bread and stir so each piece is well coated. You can either turn up the heat a little and fry the bread until it’s golden and crispy, or grill in the oven (which I prefer – it seems to produce more crunch).

For the avo topping: mash the avo in a bowl, add the garlic, basil and lemon juice and stir to a lovely mushy consistency. Season to taste.

To serve: Dollop a little of the avo mixture onto each mushroom and top with the glorious golden croutons. Try to have just one, I dare you.