Marinated mushrooms have earned a regular spot on my appetizer menu. This recipe produces tender, garlicky-flavored mushrooms with savory shallots and a Dijon vinaigrette dressing that is truly “just right”.
The secret to this flavorful recipe is to saute’ your mushrooms before placing them in the marinade. When you give them a quick saute’, you cook out excess moisture without drying the mushrooms to toughness (raw mushrooms will release their liquids as they break down in the dressing, resulting in a watered-down flavor). This step ensures a dish that is full of bright, fresh flavors with mushrooms that are tender, not rubbery. Sliced shallots also get a nice dose of the marinade and the combination works beautifully.
The original recipe calls for small whole mushrooms or mushrooms cut into quarters if they are larger than 1 1/2-inches in size. Small mushrooms, at least for me, were impossible to find so I quartered many of the mushrooms before cooking. Well, don’t bother with this step because as is usual with mushrooms, when you saute’ them for any period of time, they shrink considerably. So even my larger mushrooms ended up the perfect size after the saute’.
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I must admit that in the past I’ve never been a big fan, because mushrooms in marinade were often just watery pieces of rubber in the salad-bar line. But these marinated mushrooms are zesty with the perfect texture for eating as they are, but why not add them to salads and sandwiches or toss a few into a light pasta dish? Another benefit to this recipe is that other than the mushrooms and maybe the shallots, you probably have everything on-hand needed for this recipe. Which means it’s economical… and more importantly, mushrooms are low in calories and high in nutrients like vitamin D and are a top source of selenium.
And look at this dressing! Dijon vinaigrette works so well with the mushrooms and shallots. The mustard, teamed with red wine vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes and extra-virgin olive oil is complex without being overpowering. Add a few cherry tomatoes before marinating for added color.
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 pounds white mushrooms trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 to 2 large shallots sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves crushed and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 generous Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until skillet is dry and mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- To the pan, add the shallot, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons oil, Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Add the mushroom mixture to this bowl and stir to combine. Let cool completely. Stir in parsley.
- Cover mushrooms and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
- Mushrooms can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country magazine.
