Marinated Mushrooms with Black Garlic

Do you love the marinated mushrooms that are sold at olive bars and in jars?

Why not make your own? You can tweak the flavors and the tartness to suit your taste and match your meal. Make a few or make a big batch. Toss them into salads, eat them as appetizers or snacks, use them in recipes...the possibilities are endless.

While I love the garlicky marinated mushrooms sold at my local specialty store, there are times I don't want that much garlic. And although I'm a big fan of tartness, it's not a bad idea to temper that a bit. There are plenty of smooth vinegars to choose from.

I didn't eliminate the garlic entirely, though. Instead of using regular garlic, I used black garlic, which has a sweeter, smoother and less harsh flavor.

For the vinegar, I chose a good sherry vinegar. If you don't have sherry vinegar, balsamic or red wine vinegar would be good - or use half red wine vinegar and half balsamic for a nice balance.

Marinated Mushrooms

1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned
2 cloves black garlic, mincced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
several grinds of white pepper

Put the mushrooms into a zip-top bag. Combine all the other ingredients, taste for seasoning, and adjust the tartness and sweetness by adding more vinegar, olive oil, or sugar, as desired..

Pour this mixture over the mushrooms in the bag, seal the bag, and gently massage the mushrooms to get them evenly coated with the marinade.

At first it won't seem like a lot of liquid, but the mushrooms will begin exuding their own moisture as they sit. Refrigerate them, turning them occasionally so they marinate evenly,

You can serve these immediately, after an hour or so, or any time you like. I like them best after a day, when they've fully absorbed the marinade, and they're good for days afterward.

And don't toss the liquid - you can find plenty of uses for it as a dressing for salad, or in your cooking.