Funghi sott’olio/ Italian Pickled Mushrooms — Milk & Honey Herbs

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 strips6 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped or 2 tbsp dried4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced1-2 tsp red chili flakes (to taste)2 cups extra virgin olive oilDirections: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!