Recipe for the lemon & thyme pickled mushrooms
After that, Afanasy Ivanovich would go back in and, approaching Pulkheria Ivanova, would say:
“Well, now, Pulkheria Ivanovna, isn´t it time we had a little bite of something?”
“What could we have now, Afanasy Ivanovich? – unless it was shortcake with lard, or poppyseed pirozhki, or maybe some pickled mushrooms?”
“Why not the mushrooms, or else the pirozhki?” Afanasy Ivanovich would reply and a tablecloth with pirozhki and mushrooms would suddenly appear.
An hour before dinner, Afanasy Ivanovich would have another snack, drink an old-fashioned silver cup of vodka, followed by mushrooms, various dried fish, and so on.
Old world Landowners, by Nikolai Gogol.
Emma Galloway´s recipe (slightly adapted). Published in Cuisine magazine, Issue 200, May 2020
Ingredients
500g button mushrooms, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
125ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the mushrooms, olive oil and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt in a large roasting tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile combine the remaining salt, vinegar, garlic, thyme, sugar, lemon zest and black pepper in a small saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has just dissolved.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven and immediately stir through the pickling mixture.
Pack mushrooms into a large glass jar, along with the pickling liquid.
While they can be eaten in as little as 30 minutes, for the best flavor refrigerate for at least 1-2 days before eating.
They will store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
