Pickled Mushrooms

Eastern European-style refrigerator pickled mushrooms with the kind of sweet-tart, peppery brine that gets sharper and better with a week in the fridge. Whole button caps get simmered in salted water until they sink (the natural doneness cue; they float when raw and drop as they release air) and then jarred in a marinade flavored with peppercorns, bay, and a generous hit of sugar that softens the bite of the vinegar.

The ratio is straight Old World: ¾ cup of vinegar to ¾ cup of sugar in less than two cups of water. Boiling the peppercorns and bay leaves in the water for a full half hour before adding the salt and sugar is the move that infuses the spices into the marinade rather than leaving them floating decoratively in the jar.

These are not shelf-stable canned mushrooms; they live in the fridge and should be eaten within a couple of weeks. Serve them as antipasto, chopped into potato salad, or piled onto rye crackers with cream cheese and herbs.

Kitchen Tips

• Use small uniform button or cremini mushrooms; pack them whole for the prettiest jar.
• Wipe dirt off with a damp cloth instead of rinsing; mushrooms soak up water like sponges and dilute the brine.
• Pack the jars while the mushrooms and marinade are still hot to create a good seal.
• Let them sit at least 48 hours before tasting; the flavor needs time to penetrate the caps.

Variations

• Add a clove of garlic and a few sprigs of fresh dill per jar for a more Polish flavor.
• Use cider vinegar in place of white for a fruitier, mellower marinade.
• Stir in a teaspoon of coriander seeds with the peppercorns for a warmer spice profile.