ITALIAN MARINATED MUSHROOMS

By polloazul

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds small, meaty mushrooms
• 2 pints white vinegar or cider vinegar
• Kosher salt or pure sea salt
• Zest of a lemon, sliced into wide strips
• 4 dried hot chiles, split lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the mushrooms into reasonable pieces. With small mushrooms, like a button mushroom, you need only cut them in half, and you can leave the smaller ones whole. With large chanterelles and porcini, cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices. They will shrink a lot in this process, and they will be pliable, so they can be a little larger than you’d think they ought to be.

Salt them well. Lay down a layer of salt on a sheet tray and place the mushrooms on it. If the mushroom has a flat side, i.e., a button mushroom sliced in half, lay the flat side down against the salt. Sprinkle a heavy layer of salt over the tops of all the mushrooms. Let this stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours. You will notice a lot of water coming out of the mushrooms. This is good.

Put the mushrooms between paper towels and gently squeeze them a bit to remove a little more water.

Boil them in the vinegar for five minutes. The mushrooms will want to float. Use tongs or something to submerge them as much as you can. Fish out the mushrooms and put them between paper towels again and gently squeeze them to remove some of the vinegar.

Lay the mushrooms on a clean cloth to dry. Let them air dry until they are no longer damp, but still pliable. Don’t let them dry out into leather. Turn the mushrooms once or twice during this time. This will take between 12-24 hours, depending on how dry it is in your house and how much air circulation you have going.

Put the oil, lemon zest, oregano and chile in a bowl and toss the mushrooms in them. Pack this into glass jars. Use a chopstick or some other kind of clean stick to poke around the jar — you want to find and remove as many air bubbles as possible. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the oil.

Refrigerate and wait at least a week before eating. These mushrooms will keep in the fridge for 6 months.