Funghi sott'olio/ Italian Pickled Mushrooms
Maitake/Hen of the Woods
We’re having an amazing mushroom year, especially with Maitake/Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) and when I have an abundance this is one of my favorite ways to put up the harvest! This is a traditional Italian way of preserving mushrooms- the way mushrooms on an antipasto plate are commonly preserved. Mushroom-hunting is quite popular in Italy and this method is most commonly done with Porcini, but it works great with any mushroom that has a meaty texture. Some great wild medicinal mushrooms to use in this recipe to elevate it to potent food as medicine are Maitake/Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa), Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), and Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) . And if you’re not a forager- don’t worry!- these can often been found in grocery stores and also farmer’s markets, so take a look. And Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), a commonly cultivated medicinal mushroom available in many grocery stores, works wonderfully in this recipe too.
Chicken of the Woods & Maitake/Hen of the Woods
This is an old recipe, full of the smells, textures, tastes of my Mediterranean ancestors- lemons, oregano, garlic, hot peppers, olive oil, salt. It came from a family friend, a Sicilian nonna with her own huge family who brought this recipe here when she immigrated. I usually choose to make mine with Maitake mushrooms. I’ve read that in Italiy, Maitake is gathered and and enjoyed and known by the name Signorina, which more or less means “young lady,” which I love. I feel so honored to be keeping the food as medicine traditions of ancestors alive while also contending with living on soil that’s not ancestral for me- it’s a way to help me stay rooted and grounded.
And if there was one medicinal food I would urge almost everyone to bring into their diet, it would be medicinal mushrooms! They truly are an ally for these times. Medicinally, mushrooms are the great immune balancers and communication-enhancers. They have the ability to stimulate under-functioning immune systems and bring back an over-active immune system back from overdrive (think allergies and autoimmune disease). And they enhance the overall intelligence of the immune system and the ability for the different aspects of it to communicate more effectively as well. I suggest eating about 1/2 lb of medicinal mushrooms a week for most of my clients. And it’s not just the immune system that benefits from their medicine! They also tend to have anti-inflammatory properties, are loaded in antioxidants, protect against cancer, and support the liver, digestion, and cardiovascular system. There are so many ways to bring them into the diet and my advice is to diversify- have them in soups, stews, in broths, as sides, and preserved in olive oil like the recipe below.
Funghi sott’olio/ Italian Pickled Mushrooms/ Mushrooms Preserved in Olive Oil
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs fresh mushrooms (try maitake, shiitake, chicken of the woods or a combo)
4 cups vinegar (any kind- I like apple cider vinegar)
Peel of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips
6 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped or 2 tbsp dried
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-2 tsp red chili flakes (to taste)
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
This recipe has a few steps, but it’s totally worth it! The mushrooms shrink down a lot in the process, so don’t be surprised if you end-up with much less by volume than you started with. The up-side is that this is a great way to preserve a large number of mushrooms in a way that won’t take-up too much fridge space! These are delicious on sandwiches, in frittatas and with eggs, on pizza, on crackers or crostini with cheese, mixed into a grain salad, in salads, on an antipasto plate, or simply as a snack! And of course it’s an amazing form of food as medicine when made with medicinal mushrooms, my personal favorite for this preparation being Maitake.
1. Start by chopping your mushroom into slices. Then generously salt them and lay them out on a paper towel or dish towel at room temp for 1-2 hours. This is drawing-out the water from the mushrooms.
2. After an hour or 2 gently squeeze-out any remaining moisture with a paper towel or clean dish towel.
3. Next boil the mushrooms in batches in vinegar for about 3-5 minutes, making sure they’re thoroughly cooked. Remove them with a slotted spoon and lay-out to air dry on paper towels or a clean dish for about 2-12 hrs (until they are no longer damp), but be careful because leaving them-out longer can make them dry-out too much and get a tough, leathery texture!
4. Mix the mushrooms in a bowl with the spices, lemon peel, and a bit of olive oil. Then put a layer of olive oil in the bottom of a mason jar, then add the mushrooms and spices and lemon to the jar and cover with olive oil, being sure they’re completely covered. Stir well to remove any air bubbles.
5. Store in the fridge. Let sit a week before eating (if you can wait!). Will last at least 6 months refrigerated and likely up to a year. Best brought-up to room temp to serve!
Enjoy!
