Guest Post: Ginger Wasabi Pickled Mushrooms by Family Feedbag
We have a guest in the kitchen! We’re very excited to welcome back Amy of Family Feedbag. Amy is sharing a versatile appetizer that’s packed with bold flavour. You’ll want to serve these up at your first barbecue of the season!!
Mushrooms are all about drama for me. From their depth of flavour to their sleek curves, mushrooms never fail to bring a certain va va voom to my cooking.
As an avid home preserver, I believe that most vegetables taste great pickled and mushrooms are certainly on that list. In fact, their tender texture allows them to soak up flavour quickly, making them ideal for quick pickles.
These pickled mushrooms in a ginger wasabi brine are all about big, bold flavour. Each jar starts with a bay leaf and a little added heat from mustard seeds and a hot chili pepper. Then the cooked mushrooms are packed loosely into the jars and topped with the flavourful brine.
Make a couple jars for yourself and keep them in the refrigerator for up to one week. They make tasty one-bite appetizers, but you can also use them in salads, soups and piled on top of warm crostini spread with soft cheese. You might even find yourself sneaking them straight from the jar whenever you open the fridge door.
Ginger Wasabi Pickled Mushrooms
Make these pickled mushrooms in a ginger wasabi brine ahead of time, letting the flavours mingle before eating. Use them to add a touch of drama to an appetizer table or Sunday brunch. Try serving them in a medium serving bowl with a dish of toothpicks nearby so guests can poke and pop them into their mouths.
Makes two 500 mL (2 cup) jars
Ingredients
1 ½ lb (675 g) white mushrooms
2 bird’s eye chili peppers
2 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) yellow mustard seeds
1 ¼ cups (300 mL) unseasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup (60 mL) soy sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 mL) wasabi powder
1 tsp (5 mL) grated fresh ginger
Method
1. Rinse the mushrooms well under cool running water. Leave the small ones whole, chopping the larger ones into bite-size pieces.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally Drain (you can keep the mushroom water for making soups or noodle dishes).
3. Meantime, in each of two 500 mL (2 cup) jars, add 1 bay leaf, 1 bird’s eye chili and ½ tsp (2 mL) mustard seeds (if you’d prefer, you can combine the ingredients in one 1 L (4 cup) jar or a medium mixing bowl instead). Distribute the mushrooms equally into the jars.
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, wasabi and ginger. Pour over the mushrooms.
5. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Amy Bronee is the writer and photographer behind the award-winning home cooking blog FamilyFeedbag.com. Since 2011, millions of home cooks around the world have visited her blog for easy-to-follow recipes, mouth-watering images and stories about everyday life in the kitchen. Her first cookbook, The Canning Kitchen: 101 Simple Small Batch Recipes (Penguin Canada, June 2015) celebrates the tradition of preserving in the modern home kitchen. When she’s not wearing an apron, Amy enjoys running, reading and spending time with her husband and two young sons in their cozy island home in Victoria, BC.
