Marineeritud seened

Ingredients

Mushrooms

• 1.5 kgfirm forest mushrooms — chanterelles, boletes or milk caps
• 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
• 4 clovesgarlic, sliced

To serve

• sour cream
• raw onion, sliced thin
• dill

Directions

1. Identify everything you have picked with certainty, and discard anything you are not sure about. This is not caution for its own sake — pickling does not neutralise any toxin in any mushroom, and a misidentified specimen is exactly as dangerous in vinegar as it was in the forest.
2. Clean the mushrooms with a brush and a damp cloth rather than washing them, and trim the stem bases. Leave small ones whole and halve the larger.
3. Boil them in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming the foam. Milk caps and other Lactarius species need a longer boil and a change of water — their acrid latex is what the boiling removes, and undercooked they cause real gastric upset.
4. Drain thoroughly and let them steam dry for a few minutes.
5. Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, bay, onion and garlic 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 with sour cream, raw onion and dill.

Technique

• Identify before you cook. Nothing in this recipe makes an unsafe mushroom safe.
• Boil milk caps properly and change the water. Skipping that is the usual cause of a bad evening.
• Refrigerate once opened. Mushrooms are low-acid and an opened jar left in a cupboard is not something to gamble on.

Substitutions

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

Variations

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

History

Estonian autumn mushrooming fills the jars; chanterelles and milk caps are the usual catch.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marineeritud seened?

Marineeritud seened is a fermented & pickled from Estonia: forest mushrooms preserved in spiced vinegar, served with onion and cream. Estonian autumn mushrooming fills the jars; chanterelles and milk caps are the usual catch.

How long does Marineeritud seened take to make?

Marineeritud seened 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 Marineeritud seened?

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 Marineeritud seened?

Clean the mushrooms with a brush and a damp cloth rather than washing them, and trim the stem bases. Leave small ones whole and halve the larger.