This marinade is a delicious combo of Southern Italian flavors: lemon, chile, olive oil, oregano. However, if you like, feel free to add and/or replace it with your favorite herbs and flavorings. Meaty style mushrooms are best for this recipe. If you don’t have freshly foraged mushrooms, look for store-bought ones such as cremini, shiitake or king trumpets. The recipe is easy and straightforward but does require a little time to complete. But, the results are so worth it!
Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds meaty mushrooms
4 Cups of O’Live A Little’s Sweet Cider Vinegar
Kosher salt or pure sea salt
Zest of a lemon, sliced into wide strips
4 dried hot chiles, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons Mustard Seeds
Method of Prep
Cut the mushrooms into reasonable pieces. With small mushrooms, like a button mushroom, you need only cut them in half, and you can leave the smaller ones whole. With large chanterelles and porcini, cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices. They will shrink a lot in this process, and they will be pliable, so they can be a little larger than you'd think they ought to be.
Salt them well. Lay down a layer of salt on a sheet tray and place the mushrooms on it. If the mushroom has a flat side, i.e., a button mushroom sliced in half, lay the flat side down against the salt. Sprinkle a heavy layer of salt over the tops of all the mushrooms.
Let this stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. You will notice a lot of water coming out of the mushrooms. This is good.
Put the mushrooms between paper towels and gently squeeze them a bit to remove a little more water.
Boil them in the vinegar for five minutes. The mushrooms will want to float. Use tongs or something to submerge them as much as you can. Fish out the mushrooms and put them between paper towels again and gently squeeze them to remove some of the vinegar.
Lay the mushrooms on a clean cloth to dry. Let them air dry until they are no longer damp, but still pliable. Don't let them dry out into leather. Turn the mushrooms once or twice during this time. This will take between 12 to 24 hours, depending on how dry it is in your house and how much air circulation you have going.
You can also use a dehydrator to speed up the process, but keep an eye on it: Mushrooms can go from perfect to leather in a hurry if you're not careful!
Add the seasonings. Put the oil, lemon zest, oregano and chile in a bowl and toss the mushrooms in them. Pack this into glass jars. Use a chopstick or some other kind of clean stick to poke around the jar -- you want to find and remove as many air bubbles as possible. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the oil.
Refrigerate and wait at least a week before eating. These mushrooms will keep in the fridge for 6 months.