How to Make Wild Mushroom Salad

Wild mushrooms are a great way to flavor vinaigrettes and perk up tired winter salads. Shiitake-flavored oil deepens the character of any regular vinaigrette, but it shines when paired with wild mushrooms, goat cheese and fresh pears.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 lb fresh wild mushrooms, such as chantrelles, morels or crimini
• 1 large shallot bulb
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as a Chenin Blanc or Semillon
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp shiitake oil
• 1 cup soft chevre goat cheese, pulled into tablespoon-sized chunks
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 ripe pear, such as Bosc or Anjou
• 2 lb leafy greens, such as arugula, mustard greens or a mesclun salad mix
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Roasted and rough chopped hazelnuts, optional
• White wine vinegar
• Roasted hazelnuts, optional
• leafy greens
• Salt and pepper
• White wine
• Chevre goat cheese
• Olive oil
• Shiitake oil
• Pear
• Garlic
• 10-inch saute pan
• plates or bowls for presentation
• Wild mushroom assortment
• Shallot bulb
• wooden spoon or spatula

1. Using a mushroom brush or a slightly damp towel, gently wipe any dirt off the mushrooms, checking deep crevices thoroughly for any remaining dirt.

2. Trim off the stems of the mushrooms and cut them into large ½ -inch thick slices and set aside.

3. Peel and thinly slice the shallot bulb and set aside.

4. Peel the pear and dice it into ¼-inch cubes, and set aside.

5. Thoroughly wash your salad greens and tear off any thick stems. Discard the stems.

6. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the shiitake oil and white wine vinegar. Mix vigorously with a whisk or fork until the oil and vinegar are fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Heat a medium 10-inch sauté pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, turn the heat to medium, add the garlic and sauté for a minute.

8. Once the garlic starts to brown, add the mushrooms and stir.

9. After the mushrooms have sautéed for a few minutes, they should start to release some water into the pan. This is normal and should be of no alarm.

10. Add the white wine to the pan. The wine will start to bubble vigorously; this reaction is what you’re looking for. Let the mixture sit in the pan for a minute or two.

11. After the wine has boiled down a bit, stir the mushrooms to ensure that they are evenly coated in the white wine.

12. Turn the heat to a medium-low temperature and let the mixture bubble in the pan for a minute or two longer.

13. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to your own taste.

14. At this stage, you can do one of two presentations: you can assemble the salad with greens on the bottom and sprinkle it with a small amount of the chevre, shallots and pear chunks, then you can scoop a dollop of the hot mushroom mixture on top and follow it with a small drizzle of the shiitake-oil vinaigrette.

15. If you don’t want to try a hot salad presentation, you can also take the mushrooms out of the pan and cool them down prior to dishing up the salads. Then you would plate the salad the same way as before.

16. The difference between the two presentations is the hot mushrooms will quickly wilt the greens, so you need to serve the salad immediately. The contrast between the cold salad and the hot mushrooms is something to try at least once.

17. With the cold method, you needn’t worry about wilting the greens and you can make the salad ahead of time.

18. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts if you are using them.

19. Serve and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• If you buy mushrooms that you are unfamiliar with, ask your grocer or farmer tips on how to clean and store them properly. Don’t be afraid to try a new type of mushroom with this recipe.
• Avoid mushrooms with an excess of dirt. Mushrooms grow almost exclusively in fertilizer, so the smaller amount of dirt, the better.
• When storing mushrooms, keep them in a moisture-free brown paper bag. Moisture will spoil mushrooms, so keeping them dry is key.
• You can use a mushroom brush to clean the mushrooms, or you can use a barely damp cloth or paper towel to wipe off the top of the mushrooms. If you’re going to wipe them off, use them immediately.
• When you buy shallots, buy whole bulbs with a taut, shiny reddish-brown skin. Much like garlic, shallots have smaller bulbs inside that can be individually peeled and sliced.
• For this recipe, you only need to use one of the medium-sized individual bulbs.
• Don’t stir the mushrooms too often because that causes them to break. You want to have mushrooms that still have texture and form to them when they are served.
• Some mushrooms, like chantrelles, have deep crevices in which dirt and pine needles can hide, so be extra vigilant when cleaning mushrooms of that type.

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