Up here in Northern Wisconsin there appears to be a preference for all things pickled; especially in drinks as garnish: pickled Brussels sprouts, pickled radishes, pickled pickles and pickled mushrooms to mention a few. The other day after we finished a round of golf, we stopped in a the bar for our half-off cocktails. I usually have scotch on the rocks and Laura has her favorite New Glarus Spotted Cow beer, which is only available in Wisconsin. But this time we both elected to try the Bloody Mary, which they make with an infused vodka, which we need to explore further in another post. However, I selected marinated mushrooms as my garnish in my Bloody Mary and they tasted so good, I wanted to make some so I could have a Bloody Mary at home whenever I wanted. (As I am writing this, I am sipping on one I make just a few minutes ago….)
Here is how I made mine and I have to say they turned out great.
Ingredients:
1 package mushrooms, preferably Crimini, about 8 ounces
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 bay leaf
freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon onion, sliced
Method:
1. Cut larger mushrooms into smaller units, keeping the smallest ones whole. Rinse under cold water to remove dirt.
2. Place mushrooms in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Strain off water and set mushrooms aside.
3. In the same, now clean saucepan, heat vinegar and water to boiling. Add salt, pepper, granulated sugar and stir to dissolve. Add bay leaf.
4. Take the mixture off the heat and add pepper, oregano, dried red pepper,, fresh thyme, garlic, and onion.
5. In a clean pickle jar add mushrooms and the cooled pickling liquid. Cover, agitate a bit and let it sit until it reaches room temperature, then place in the fridge.
6. The marinated mushrooms will be ready to eat after a day.
