Mushroom Salad, Italian-American Style
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: About 1 hour
A vinegary, almost pickled mushroom dish that can be used as a garnish or condiment as well as a salad. It’s also good tossed with chopped Belgian endive (use 2 heads for this amount of mushrooms) or other bitter greens.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound button or other mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon slivered garlic
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves for garnish
01 Put 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally and sprinkling with salt and pepper, until they give up their liquid and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat a bit and add the onion, then cook until the onion softens, another 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat.
02 Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and stir in the vinegar and remaining tablespoon of oil. Let cool to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Garnish and serve or let sit at room temperature for another hour or two before serving.
