i can’t help myself
Recipe: marinated mushrooms
Another weekend, another set of visitors – both have come and gone. Jeremy’s folks were out to see our new digs and explore the town. I swear Crested Butte is Colorado’s best kept secret. Right now, I’m waiting for the moon to set and hoping that our clear skies hold enough for me to catch some Perseids tonight. It’s been lovely here this past week with plenty of rain, storms, and sunshine. Cooler weather is in the air. I can smell autumn coming and I swear it makes my heart race in anticipation. The mountains are getting ready.
late season bloomers: fireweed
a busy bee, gathering nectar and pollen
alpine lake destination
Clearing afternoon storms always present the opportunity for nice color after sunset. When I have a moment, I step outside and observe how the light bounces around between the atmosphere and the mountains in the hour after the sun drops behind our local divide. It takes a little time to get to know the patterns, but I’m trying to become familiar with them. Most of the time it’s been what I call a fizzle, but the other day was delightfully colorful.
last orange rays graze the mountainside
crepuscular rays and glowing wisps of clouds over paradise divide
The rains have also been good for mushrooms. When Jeremy and I hike, I really try to keep my pace up and not revert to mushroom search mode. But if I happen to spot a mushroom of interest, I’ll stop for a photo because I like documenting what I find, where, when, and the conditions. The great thing is that Jeremy and I love to geek out on plants, fungi, critters, bugs, geology, and weather. I love the fungi almost as much as I love my fun guy.
false chanterelle (it’s a bit early yet for the real deal)
hawk’s wings are so pretty (my size 9 foot for scale)
We did find some porcini, but none that I wanted to harvest since they were a little wormed out. I always leave those in place and give the big ones a pat on the cap in the hopes of shaking out some more spores for next year’s porcini. Obviously, I’ve had mushrooms on the brain since summer began. I blame Wendy because she has porcini fever starting in like… March. But I was craving the marinated kind, something you can make with store-bought button or crimini mushrooms.
fresh crimini mushrooms, parsley, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, red onion, salt, garlic, black peppercorns, coriander seeds
The first time I made these marinated mushrooms, I thought they were fine. The second time I made them, I added some lemon juice and I found they tasted better. It’s up to you if you want to include the lemon juice. Now normally I don’t wash mushrooms, I either brush them clean or wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. In this case, since the first step is to boil the mushrooms in salted water, I felt it was okay to wash them.
washed and trimmed
boiled
chopping up the oregano
Once the mushrooms are tender after about five minutes, drain them off and put everything into a jar or container and shake it up. Don’t eat them right away. I tried one and it was meh. Let them marinate in the refrigerator overnight at the minimum to give all of the flavors time to meld and infiltrate the mushrooms.
place the spices, herbs, and mushrooms into the jar
add olive oil
marinate
If you are sensitive to raw garlic and raw onions, you can reduce the amount in the recipe for a mellower punch. In fact, you can adjust any of the recipe to your liking. These little nuggets of mushroomy goodness are nice bites alone or served alongside antipasti. Entertain with the marinated mushrooms or keep them for yourself. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
a little nibble
Marinated Mushrooms
[print recipe]
modified from Whole Foods
1 lb. fresh crimini mushrooms
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps white wine vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice (optional, but I recommend it)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
2 tsps fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tbsps fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Clean the mushrooms and trim the stems. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and simmer the mushrooms in the water for five minutes or until tender. Drain the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients together in a large jar. Seal the jar and give it a thorough shake to mix everything together. Let the mushrooms marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Serve in a platter or a bowl. Makes a pound of mushrooms.
more goodness from the use real butter archives
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refrigerator pickles |
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spicy chinese cucumber salad |
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pickled red onions |
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pickled okra |
August 11th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Oh my! I can’t help myself either. This marinated mushrooms is definitely calling my name. bookmarked! And your pics…they’re all stunning as usual.
August 11th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
Off-topic but I saw this recipe for a Gin and Tonic cake and thought you might want to bookmark it.
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/06/05/gin-and-tonic-cake-a-cocktail-turned-confection/
August 11th, 2013 at 11:50 pm
How you manage to hike without having your camera attached to your face permanently is a mystery to me – you live in such a stunning place. Always enjoy the landscapes. Wild mushrooms are a wonderful things – useful recipe.
August 12th, 2013 at 12:02 am
Yum. Mom has often made these for parties and added artichoke hearts. Thanks for the reminder to make them myself!
Sounds like you’re having a delightful time in your new digs. Miss you!
August 12th, 2013 at 1:55 am
Hi – I am sensitive to raw garlic – but definitely think this mushrooms need it to add flavour. So I put the garlic in while boiling. Works wonderful for me!
August 12th, 2013 at 5:52 am
Mmmmm…the Crested Butte area does look gorgeous!
August 12th, 2013 at 5:58 am
I love marinated mushrooms! This recipe is fabulous.
August 12th, 2013 at 8:01 am
Crusty Butt is my favorite colorado town. You have two houses now?
August 12th, 2013 at 10:30 am
Yum, marinated mushrooms are so good. I always call crepuscular rays “craptascular rays” because I forget their actual name. Sigh. ;) XO
August 12th, 2013 at 11:43 am
Yup making this. I am obsessed with mushrooms!
August 12th, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Very funny Sally! Love the Fungi/Funguy mention Jen!
August 12th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
mmmm…..
mushrooms look lovely….
August 13th, 2013 at 12:46 am
What a gorgeous post. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of mushroom picking, however we had a few tourists die from toadstool poisoning here in Western Australia last year and now I’m scared to try and identify any in the wild! Love the idea of marinated mushrooms. I’ve never eaten them but the flavours you’ve used are so simple, beautiful and rustic. I’ll definitely give this a try… with storebought mushrooms, methinks ;)
August 14th, 2013 at 3:36 pm
This is exactly what I needed! Fantastic @_@
August 14th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
I came for the ‘eye-candy’..and, as usual, I was NOT disappointed. :)
August 16th, 2013 at 12:27 am
Linda – thank you!
Jasmine – oh how cool. Thanks for the link. I am quite partial to G&Ts!
Sally – ha! I think the fear of smashing my nose or my lens is enough to keep my eyes on the trail ;)
Kitt – artichoke hearts sound so good! Give your mom my love xxoo
Zypresse – great idea. I may have to try that as raw garlic upsets my husband’s stomach.
Kristin – yeah, it’s why I love it there so much.
Katrina – :)
Laura – yes.
Kathya – ha ha!! You are AWESOME <3
Adrienne - me too!
Chef V - I have to give credit to my pal, Wendy. She's the one who made that joke (and I didn't get it for the longest time).
Rocky Mountain Woman - :)
laurasmess - yes, it's something you should exercise great caution with as a simple mistake can cost you a trip to the hospital or worse - death. Definitely go with an expert if foraging. But yes, store-bought should be quite safe!
Diana - great!!
Margie - awww, thanks!
September 1st, 2013 at 9:37 pm
I have some mushrooms in the fridge. Gonna make just this!!
September 13th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Hi Jen,
I made a batch (and a half) of your mushrooms last Sunday night, and we ate them Monday night. Oh, my stars, they were soooooo good! I thought I had white wine vinegar, but didn’t, so used apple cider vinegar instead. I did add the lemon juice. I’m afraid the two of us ate them all up at dinner………ummmm. I’m not doing it again for awhile. I forgot they had all that fiber 8-\, but it was worth it, for sure.
October 21st, 2013 at 6:01 pm
[…] month. 16 things you can turn into pesto I want to make marinated mushrooms and grilled naan with garlic scape chutney. Always on the lookout for good […]
February 14th, 2014 at 7:57 am
[…] Whole Foods and Fairway on marinated mushrooms. I thought I would try it make my own. I used this recipe. They were quiet good and had a very fresh mushroom flavor. However, they were not very much like […]
March 15th, 2014 at 10:37 am
Could these be canned? Are they acidic enough? Perhaps I could just add more white wine vinegar?
March 15th, 2014 at 11:38 pm
Nicole – I don’t actually know. I’ve never tried canning mushrooms before. Probably worth googling.
March 25th, 2015 at 8:03 am
[…] Whole Foods and Fairway on marinated mushrooms. I thought I would try it make my own. I used this recipe. They were quiet good and had a very fresh mushroom flavor. However, they were not very much like […]
March 28th, 2015 at 7:21 am
This is the recipe I have been hunting. Thank you. The taste is great and coriander seeds…….marvelous addition.
February 5th, 2017 at 9:28 am
[…] the recipeย fromย Use Real […]