Monday, May 3, 2010

Red Wine Marinated Mushrooms




This is the dish I made on Thursday that we didn’t have because of Dan’s throat. The mushrooms have been staring at me from the bottom shelf each time I opened the refrigerator. Today I decided to have just a few for a nibble.

This dish is all about the wine. The rich wine flavor permeates each delectable morsel. It is critically important to use a wine you really enjoy as it provides most of the flavor for the dish. Here is what I did:

Red Wine Marinated Mushrooms
Serves 6

Ingredients:

24 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed flat
1 cup good dry Italian red wine (I used Sangiovese)
2 – 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (or sub 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced (or sub 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves stripped (or sub 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 green onions, finely sliced

Directions:

Combine everything but the green onions. Add red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil then turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the mushrooms to cool to room temperature and then store them and the liquid in a container with a tight fitting lid. Add the sliced green onions and refrigerate until needed. Serve cold or room temperature.

Nutritional Information: **

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 70.75
Calories From Fat (2%) - 1.44

Total Fat - 0.16g
Saturated Fat-  0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 10.32mg
Potassium - 588.94mg
Total Carbohydrates - 6.72g
Fiber - 1.13g
Sugar - 2.33g
Protein - 3.08g

** These numbers are overstated by the marinade that was not absorbed, which is most of it. Since the excess liquid is marinade and water from the mushrooms I didn’t want to back out too many calories but instead preferred to overstate them. I would estimate each serving contains less than a ½ tablespoon of red wine.

Comments:

This dish is all about the wine. If you choose a wine you like you can’t go wrong. I like to serve these as part of what I call an “antipasti dinner”. I know the name is contradictory but it is what I call it. We have little bits of different appetizers for dinner and that is our meal. These mushrooms make a nice flavorful addition to the platter.  Needless to say this isn’t the most healthful dish I have made. But sometimes you need a little cheat and this is mine. I thoroughly enjoyed the wine flavor and aroma of this dish. These would be wonderful served with some almond feta, veggie crudités and a spinach salad with chickpeas.

Unrelated note:

I want to make something with collards tomorrow but I have no idea how I want to use them. Typically I will use collards as a whole wheat flat bread substitute but I am not in the mood for that at the moment. Do any of you have a creative use for raw collard greens? If you have any ideas I would love to hear them. :-)

For now I am going to go so that I can enjoy some time with my hubby. I hope you all had a great day! Talk to you tomorrow.

22 comments:

  1. I think this looks lovely!!!
    I already gave you my idea's on collards, but I am excited to see what other people come up with!!!

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  2. Brandi,

    Since I know you like Italian food I think you will enjoy this recipe.

    I am excited to see what others come up with too. ;-)

    Alicia

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  3. I can just imagine how much delicious flavor these must have. Mushrooms are wonderful marinade recipients.

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  4. Rose,

    With your Italian heritage I think this is something you will enjoy. I hope you try it.

    talk to you later,
    Alicia

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  5. I love love love mushrooms, especially marinated mushrooms. I cant' wait to try this. The next time my brother comes over to visit I'm going to make these. I just know he'll love them!

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  6. Melissa,

    This is a very simple and easy dish. How they turn out is a function of the wine. Pick any dry red wine you enjoy drinking. I have made these with Chianti, Brunello, and Amarone. They last in the frig for at least a week. I think they get better as they sit and absorb the wine marinade. I hope you like them as much as we do.

    Alicia

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  7. Yum, I've been waiting for you to post this recipe!!

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  8. Heather,

    I hope you like it as much as we do. We enjoy the wine aroma and flavor with the mushrooms.

    talk to you later,
    Alicia

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  9. What about making a type of sushi with the raw collards? You could even use both seaweed and collards as sort of a double layer around the rice. I only thought of it because I'm not a great fan of seaweed as you know and have been meaning to try something similar.

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  10. Rose,

    Thanks for sharing your idea. That had not occured to me.

    I haven't always been a fan of seaweed, but nori has grown on me. I had the sushi salad for breakfast and lunch today. I guess I am becoming a seaweed convert.

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  11. Thank you for this recipe! I've been wondering how red wine mushrooms would taste and I have a bunch of crimini's to use.

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  12. Krystina,

    The mushrooms taste mostly of wine. The only secret is picking a wine you love. I have also made these with pinot grigio when I was more in the mood for white wine.

    I hope you enjoy them as much as we do,
    Alicia

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  13. I really like the idea of little bits of different appetizers for dinner. Kind of a smorgasbord ;)
    Hope Dan is feeling better today.
    Sorry I don't have any raw collard ideas, the only way I use them raw is in smoothies.

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  14. I love how mushrooms in wine become a "cheat" food. That is how you know you are making true life changes: cheat foods are your previous healthy foods. Thanks for your blog, I am fairly new to this lifestyle, and find your inspirational.

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  15. Would you mind sharing a few of your favorite wine brands/years? I'm not that familiar with Italian wines, especially Amarone which you frequently mention. Maybe you could get me started in the right direction?

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  16. Janet,

    We love to eat little bits of different things for dinner. Sort of my Italian version of tapas. It is my favorite way to eat. It is easier than it sounds since I make a new dish a day and then add it to the spread for a few days. As we eat all of one thing I make another dish.

    We were at the doctor this morning. The doc prescribed a couple things. We have a follow up next week. Dan should be feeling some improvement by tomorrow. Thanks for the well wishes.

    Alicia

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  17. Jennifer,

    Isn't that true! In the past I would have never considered wine marinated mushrooms an indulgence. LOL.

    Since you are new to eating this way if you have any questions feel free to ask. I am happy to help.

    Alicia

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  18. Laura,

    For Italian wines there are few vintners that are always good: Bolgheri, Allegrini, Antinori, Castello Banfi, and Masi.

    For Amarone to drink Masi is my favorite and it runs about $40. Amarone is a raisinated wine which gives it a bigger, chewier flavor. If you want a similar flavor for a lower price (approx $25) look for Valpolicello. It is also raisinated but isn't aged as long so the flavor isn't as complex.

    If you want something that is a big Italian wine I recommend Brunello di Montalcino. This is my favorite wine. Definitely the wine I would pick if I could only have one. It is too expensive to cook with, in my opinion. A good bottle starts at $75.

    If you want a nice red that is reasonably priced go with a Sicilian Nero D'Avola. We have had a few that we were really good and approximately $20 a bottle.

    When I am wine shopping I always check the Wine Spectator ratings before I buy. Our local liquor stores normally post these on the bins. You can also access them on your phone, which I do if they aren't posted.

    Alicia

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  19. Oh, yum! This looks and sounds so decadently delicious and yet so easy! We'll make a special treat of this one day soon!

    I thought I was feeling badly for Dan before, but reading that he was missing out on this really made my heart go out to him! Hope he's feeling good enough to enjoy some soon!

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  20. La,

    I feel bad for him too. He loves these red wine marinated mushrooms and I made them just for him. I will make him more when he feels better.

    I hope you and BW like these too.

    talk to you soon,
    Alicia

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  21. These mushrooms look phenomenal, Alicia. I read this post yesterday and I'm still thinking about them today! I need to go pick up a bottle of red wine!

    xoxo,
    LJ

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  22. LJ,

    I can't wait to hear what you think. If you are a Italian red wine lover you should really like these.

    talk to you later,
    Alicia

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