Warm Mushroom Salad With Bacon, Sourdough Croutons & Pickled-Mushroom Vinaigrette

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• For the Pickled Mushrooms:
• 1/4 pound trumpet, king trumpet or oyster mushrooms, sliced 1/8 -inch thick
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 (4-inch) sprig rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• For the Salad:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 strips bacon (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces
• 1 heaping cup bite-size sourdough bread pieces, torn by hand
• 2 cups mixed mushrooms (about 3/4 pound total), such as trumpet, oyster, shiitake or pioppino, cut into chunks
• 4 packed cups mixed baby greens (about 1/2 pound total), such as kale, chard or other hearty lettuces
• Sliced radishes and fennel fronds, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Make Pickled Mushrooms:
Place mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl. Place remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until sugar and salt dissolve. Strain hot pickling liquid over mushrooms. Reserve 1 tablespoon pickling liquid for vinaigrette and discard peppercorns, rosemary and garlic. Cover mushrooms with plastic wrap.

Make Vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon mushroom pickling liquid, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until emulsified. Set aside.

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp and most of fat has rendered out. Add sourdough pieces to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little olive oil if pan seems dry, until bread begins to get crisp and golden, 7-10 minutes. Transfer bread and bacon to a bowl.

Increase heat to medium-high. Cook mushrooms in skillet, stirring frequently, until slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and turn off heat.

Compose Salad:
Drain pickled mushrooms. In a large bowl, combine greens, warm mushrooms, drained pickled mushrooms, croutons and bacon. Drizzle vinaigrette to taste, tossing to coat. Adjust seasoning as needed. Garnish with radishes and fennel fronds, if using. Serve while mushrooms are still warm.