Pickled mushrooms, Milennium-Style.
I got this recipe when I recently attended Millennium’s Mushroom cooking class. Executive Chef Eric Tucker provided the recipe and instruction, as well as some alternative choices for mushrooms, should the exotic ones be unavailable. This recipe is pretty easy, and next time I make it, I’m going to double or triple the amounts so I can can the mushrooms for future snacking. You can either serve them after a 4-hour marination at room temperature, or store them refrigerated in sterilized canning jars for 2 weeks before they’ll be ready for use. After that, they’re pantry-ready.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar (I use the same vinegar one would use for sushi rice: nice and tart, with no seasoning added)
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
5 whole cloves (alternatively, you could use 2 tsp ground cloves, but the effect really isn’t quite as delicate)
Salt as needed
2 cups Clamshell mushrooms, broken into individual shells (or substitute with quartered crimini mushrooms)
2 cups King Trumpet mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ thick scallops (or substitute with sliced oyster mushrooms)
1 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced into thin slivers
4 dried chili arbol (the traditional long chilis are fine, though one or two aji chilis would make a lovely substitution)
1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 black peppercorns (I substituted white peppercorns, as I had no black whole peppercorns. It turned out great)
Method:
1. Combine vinegar, water, bay leaves, and cloves in a large saucepan. Chef Tucker mentions to use a non-reactive saucepan, we use a large cast-iron saucepan and find that it does the job swimmingly.
2. Add salt to this mixture, enough to match the salinity of sea water. It’s more than you think.
3. Bring to a boil, add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, discard the liquid. When they are dry, place in a bowl or into sterilized canning jars.
4. Heat the cup of oil in a sauce pan with the garlic, chile, thyme and peppercorns. When the garlic starts to fry, remove from heat and pour the mixture immediately over the mushrooms. Enjoy!
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The recipe calls for a non-reactive pan so that the acid in the vinegar doesn’t react with the pan, thus creating mineral salts that you end up eating along with your mushrooms. Using a cast iron pan will result in formation of ferrous acetate which is mildly toxic. In large doses, like with any mineral salt, it will cause liver and kidney damage. So, use stainless steel if you’re planning to make a big batch.