Marinated Mushrooms (Sorry Maggie!)

This recipe brings me back to the days of going to Longwood Gardens and stopping at that mushroom stop on the way home.  I would always go back to where the marinated mushroom samples were sitting out and I would go to town!

I'm always slightly horrified at how expensive jars of mushrooms can be, but fear not!  This recipe will satisfy every craving for a fraction of the price!

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh white button mushrooms (bite-sized), scrubbed clean
1/4 cup extra- virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

Directions:

1. Place water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Trim the mushrooms by cutting off a thin slice of the stem of each mushroom. Drop the mushrooms into boiling water and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes; do not boil. Drain the mushrooms and cover with cold water. Let stand until cool. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the mushrooms to the olive oil mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until well coated. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or longer, stirring occasionally (overnight is even better). TIP: You can also marinate the mushrooms in a large zip bag. I prefer to do it this way since it's so easy to turn the bag and redistribute the marinade.

3. When ready to serve, drain the mushrooms from the marinade (reserving a little bit of the marinade) and place the mushrooms on a platter with toothpicks for serving. Drizzle some of the reserved marinade on top.

These are a must try!  I should warn up that boiling mushrooms is super stinky.  The pay off is worth it though.  As usual - I didn't measure any of the seasonings.  Just shake until it looks right.  I also think this is a great recipe to play around with.  You could tweak the seasoning/marinade to whatever mood you're in.

Molly