So yes, it turns out these twice marinated mushrooms are one of the most delicious things ever. Marinating them overnight in the olive oil really helped tone down the sharpness of the fennel and allowed all the flavors to blend together a bit more. I can't wait to make them again since there weren't any left from Thanksgiving. Hope you all had a great holiday! Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorites.
I recently came across this recipe in one of my old issues of Fine Cooking and thought I'd try it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. I have yet to taste the finished product but just from the smell of it, I think it might be the most delicious thing ever. And it's simple to make, the ingredients are easy to find and it stays fresh for up to a month in the fridge, although I can't imagine we'll have much in the way of leftovers after the jar is opened. Here's the recipe for you, I think they would be delicious on top of steak or chicken, in an omelet, or just simply, on top of a crostini. Enjoy!
Twice Marinated Mushrooms
Makes about 2 cups
1 1/2 C dry white wine
1/2 C white wine vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 1x4-inch strips lemon zest, white pith removed
1 4-inch sprig of rosemary
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp juniper berries (about 14), lightly crushed (you can find these at the co-op in bulk spices)
1/2 tsp fennel seed, lightly chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 C olive oil (approximately)
1 lb. mushrooms, trimmed (I used cremini but you can use any type, or a mixture of types)
1. Mix the wine, vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, salt, juniper berries, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper to make the marinade.
2. Heat 3 TBSP of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, until very hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring once or twice, until golden brown, 2-4 minutes, depending on the type of mushroom - they should not be cooked all the way through. Spread onto a plate to cool.
3. Add the marinade to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors. Put the mushrooms and marinade in a heat proof container. let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the garlic and discarding the marinade and most of the aromatics (its OK if some of the aromatics stick to the mushrooms). Pack the mushrooms and garlic into a pint jar with lid. Add enough of the remaining olive oil to cover, and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 1 month.
Last weekend we drove down to Portland for probably the last time until spring. Kim & Ryan are leaving on Tuesday to go to Europe where they'll spend 6 weeks with friends & then from there head to Thailand to travel around until April or May. I will miss them, of course, but I am so excited for their adventure! It has been so great to move here & be able to hang out while we settle in. But now we will go on our separate adventures, theirs international & ours in our new city, and come back together in the spring rejuvenated! And it's only 6 months, until a few months ago none of us had seen each other since our wedding 3 years earlier. I honestly don't know how I made it that long without face-to-face contact. They are family. Next on the list is for Amber & Simon to make it out this way & then the reunion will be complete.
So on Saturday we had a going away party complete with my best rendition of Asian-inspired cuisine, with lots of assistance from anyone who happened to be hanging around the kitchen. As delicious as the food was, I think the real thing might be a teensy bit better, at least the dumplings for sure. I was a bit surprised by how much they didn't look at all like the picture in the cookbook. But I've read about how food stylists blow torch raw turkeys to make them look perfectly brown or make ice cream out of mashed potatoes so it doesn't look melted in the picture, so I'm going with the idea that maybe the dumplings in the picture were made out of plastic. They just looked so damn perfect. But alas, this was my first time making them so perhaps I just need more practice. But they tasted amazing & that's really all that matters in the end.
Part of the idea of making the party Asian-themed, aside from the obvious, was that the food is so cheap to make, especially when you shop at the Asian market. Kim had never been before so it was quite exciting to introduce her to the world of technicolor grocery shopping. Bright lights, Asian dance music blaring out of the speakers, packages of food decorated with every color of the rainbow, Hello Kitty paraphernalia lining the shelves, desserts in colors not found in nature, etc. The key is to go in there without a list because if you're looking for something specific you'll just make yourself crazy, as we discovered with trying to find bonito flakes.
We bought everything we needed for spring rolls & dumplings & lots of different types of desserts & snacks & the total was 45 bucks, enough food for probably 30 people or so. That's what I love about shopping there, it's actually really hard to spend a lot of money, even when you're throwing random stuff into your cart just because the package looks kind of cool & weird.
So I bid you farewell Kimberly & Ryan! I hope you have the greatest of adventures, as I know you will. I look forward to hearing your stories & the things you learn along the way. Be sure to eat delicious food & lots of it, try at least one fried bug of some sort on a skewer -- you never know, maybe they all taste like chicken, -- and have sooo much fun stepping into the unknown. It will be grand. Love to you both.... xo
...spring rolls with rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tofu, cilantro & mint.
...fried tofu with cilantro yogurt dipping sauce.
...soy ginger dipping sauce for the dumplings & spring rolls.
...dumplings filled with a mixture of napa cabbage & shitake mushrooms.
...wasabi peas.
...dinner at the coastal kitchen in seattle. it was one of the best meals i've had the pleasure of eating.
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