This recipe smacks of summer and shouts easy entertaining. It is a Mrs Robinson special and, when growing up, it was a summertime staple. Mushrooms are the complete hero of this dish. No cooking is required so you can rustle it up in minutes. The mushrooms simply marinade in a sublime french vinaigrette dressing using olive oil and white wine vinegar as a base.
The French vinaigrette – like the French – is subtle and elegant yet still packed with punch. It’s a perfect foil for the mushrooms which act like little sponges absorbing all the flavour of the marinade perfectly. What makes this recipe so special is that you can prepare it way ahead of time. The longer the mushrooms sit in the marinade, the longer they “cook” and the more flavourful they become. You can’t go wrong with this recipe.
Ingredients
- Swiss Brown Mushrooms
- White Button Mushrooms
- Red Onion
- Fresh Parsley
- Olive Oil
- White Wine Vinegar
- Wholegrain Mustard
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic
- Salt and Cracked Pepper
Magic Mushroom Cheat Sheet
- I’m quite picky about the size of the mushrooms used. I always look for a smallish size mushroom of uniform size so that they all marinade equally.
- French vinaigrette is like the French, subtle and elegant yet still packed with punch, so please don’t let the garlic overpower it. Add it slowly until you achieve the best flavour for your individual palate.
- You can be a bit generous with the salt as it really rounds off all the flavours and brings the vinaigrette together.
- Use a micro plane to get a really good minced garlic.
Magical Marinaded Mushroom Salad
Nothing is easier to make than this summery magical mushroom salad. It requires minimal prep work and can be rustled up in minutes. The mushrooms are the absolute hero of this dish and act as a sponge absorbing the sublime flavours of the classic french dressing.
Ingredients
- 300g Small Swiss Brown Mushrooms
- 300g Small White Button Mushrooms
- 2 Medium Red Onions sliced very finely into rings
- 1/2 Bunch Fresh Parsley chopped finely
- 9 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 Cloves Minced Garlic (small to medium size)
- Salt and Cracked Pepper
Instructions
French Vinegreitte
In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and white wine vinegar
Add the garlic and the mustards and whisk together well
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Mushroom Preparation
Wipe the mushrooms clean and add them to a large non-metal bowl
Add the sliced red onion
Pour over the French vinaigrette and toss well making sure that the mushrooms are well coated
Set aside and let them marinade until ready to serve, tossing again from time to time
To Serve
Place in a serving bowl
Garnish generously with parsley and serve
Notes
For ease of preparation and to minimise washing up, I generally use the same bowl that I use to marinade the mushroom in. When ready to serve I just wipe the bowl down.
