Mushrooms are delicious when pickled in balsamic vinegar. They have a lovely sweetness that works well with the heat from chilli. This unusual combination of flavours came about one evening out of necessity when the fridge was bare. It turned out to be a success. Give it a try.
350g button or swiss brown mushrooms, sliced into 4
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
½ clove garlic, grated
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 pinches chilli flakes
1 fresh red chilli, sliced, with seeds in
2 radicchio (or longer-leaf treviso version), washed, dried and separated into individual leaves
100g parmesan, shaved
1 handful basil leaves
1. Toss the mushrooms with vinegars, salt, pepper, garlic, oil, chilli flakes and fresh chilli and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Lay the treviso or radicchio leaves on a platter. Scatter with parmesan shavings and basil leaves.
3. Top with the mushrooms and spoon the remaining dressing over.
4. Drizzle with a little more oil if necessary and allow to stand dressed for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend together.
Drink Nebbiolo
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