Grzyby marynowane

Ingredients

Mushrooms

• 1.5 kgfirm forest mushrooms — boletus, honey fungus or chanterelle
• 1 tbspsalt, for the boiling water

Pickle

• 500 mlwater
• 250 mlwhite vinegar
• 2 tbspsalt
• 2 tbspsugar
• 2 tspblack peppercorns
• 1 tspwhole allspice
• 4bay leaves
• 1onion, sliced
• 1 tspmustard seed

To serve

• vodka
• rye bread and butter

Directions

1. Identify every mushroom you have picked with certainty, and throw out anything you are not sure of. Pickling neutralises no toxin in any mushroom — a misidentified specimen is exactly as dangerous in vinegar as it was in the forest.
2. Honey fungus in particular must be cooked thoroughly. Raw or undercooked armillaria causes real gastric upset even though the cooked mushroom is perfectly good.
3. Clean the mushrooms with a brush and a damp cloth rather than washing them, and trim the stem bases.
4. Boil in salted water for 20 minutes, skimming the foam, then drain thoroughly and let them steam dry.
5. Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, bay, onion and mustard seed to a boil and simmer five minutes.
6. Add the drained mushrooms and simmer 10 minutes more so they take up the pickle.
7. Pack into sterilised jars with the aromatics, pour over the boiling liquid to cover, and seal at once.
8. Leave three weeks before opening. Refrigerate once opened and use within a month. Serve cold with vodka and buttered rye at the Christmas Eve table.

Technique

• Identify before you cook. Nothing here makes an unsafe mushroom safe.
• Boil honey fungus properly — twenty minutes, not five.
• Refrigerate once opened. Mushrooms are low-acid and an opened jar in a cupboard is not worth the risk.

Substitutions

• Cultivated chestnut or button mushrooms, which pickle well and remove the identification problem entirely.
• Cider vinegar for white, which is softer.

Variations

• The Latvian marinētas sēnes and Lithuanian marinuoti grybai are the same preserve.
• A salted version layered in coarse salt, which is the older Slavic method.

History

Poland’s forest mushroom picking supplies the jars opened at Christmas Eve and at vodka tables.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grzyby marynowane?

Grzyby marynowane is a fermented & pickled from Poland: boletus and honey fungus jarred in spiced vinegar for the winter table. Poland’s forest mushroom picking supplies the jars opened at Christmas Eve and at vodka tables.

How long does Grzyby marynowane take to make?

Grzyby marynowane takes 40 min plus 3 weeks of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills 3 × 500 ml jars. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Grzyby marynowane?

Yes, within limits. Cultivated chestnut or button mushrooms, which pickle well and remove the identification problem entirely. Cider vinegar for white, which is softer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Grzyby marynowane?

Honey fungus in particular must be cooked thoroughly. Raw or undercooked armillaria causes real gastric upset even though the cooked mushroom is perfectly good.