Mushroom Medley from the Larder/Fridge

Last night I decided to have a go at this Mushroom Medley preserve under the auspices of the one thing  a day heading; I have decided to reinstate these set of little posts in an effort to focus my energies one one thing at a time and so get things done.


This should have been prepared before Christmas but we did not quite get there.  OH is particularly fond of mushrooms and he tried something similar recently and had raved about it and yet when I had mentioned it previously he had not wanted to know.  Typical.

I have a mixture of two packs of exotic mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, shitake mushrooms (be aware that you do not use the stalks on Shitake mushrooms and they need taking off and disposing of) and ordinary mushrooms but you can choose whichever mushrooms float your boat.  Just plain button mushrooms or an exotic mixture you use exactly the same ingredients and the same procedure.  This is an Oded Schwartz recipe and I can see that it will be very useful I can now understand why the Italians prepare the cep and other mushrooms.  Even when the mushrooms have been eaten the oil will still come into its own.  I warmed my jars in the oven and then boiled my oil separately but you have to be extremely careful as the oil could end up blowing the jar and wasting the contents.

Ingredients:

1. 500ml/17fl oz of white wine vinegar
2. 8fl oz of water
3. 3-4 garlic cloves chopped (I used my crusher)
4. 1 tsp of black whole peppercorns
5. 2 tsp of salt
6. 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
7. 1kg/2lb fresh assorted mushrooms
8. 1 to 2 strips of lemon rind
9. 1 to bay leaves (optional)
10. good quality olive oil to cover.

Place items 1 to 6 into a deep non-reactive pan bring the contents to the boil and then simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Add some of the mushrooms into the liquid and cook for about 10 minutes  or until they are just cooked remove and drain.  I popped mine into a sieve with a bowl underneath but you need to drain them well.  Remove the thyme.

Arrange the mushrooms strips of lemon rind, bay leaf and fresh thyme into a clean sterilised jar.

1. Heat the olive oil until it reaches 75 degrees C or 160 degrees F and pour it carefully into the jar making sure that the mushrooms are completely covered.  Poke the mushrooms with a wooden skewer to make sure there are no air pockets. then seal the jar.  Leave to cool.  The mushrooms should be ready to eat in about two weeks.

The mushrooms can be used as an hors d'oeuvre or with a little oil fro the jar can be used to dress cooked pasta served as an appetizer on slices of french bread.  The oil can be used in its own right to gently fry chicken or as a salad dressing. 

Store in a fridge.  I am lucky in that I have a pantry but it is not cold and because oil can turn so quickly I think it is perhaps best kept in the fridge. Should store for about 6 months in this fashion.

I have been looking at the jars and cannot wait to try it.  Think think this might be a regular make on the list.  The more exotic the mushrooms the higher the price.  Might be a good one to make when there is an offer on mushrooms, or just prepare button mushrooms and keep the more exotic ones for special occasions like Christmas.

Something else special for the  Fridge Pantry shelf.

pattypan

x