Recipe - Marinated Mushrooms & Artichokes

[UPDATE: THIS RECIPE HAS BEEN UPDATED AND CAN BE FOUND HERE.] This was a small dish I put together for the graduation party at my apartment back at school. I always enjoy myself some mushrooms and artichokes. I was in the mood for making an entire antipasto platter but settled for marinating the baby bella mushrooms I had in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was spectacular and just the right amount of vinegar-y. Give it a try!

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 4)

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lb mushrooms, sliced with stems removed
• 1 can artichoke hearts, 14 oz
• 2 tsps oregano, dry
• 2 tsps basil, dry

Step 2: Marinating the mushrooms
You can keep the stems on your mushrooms if you want but I preferred them off. I used baby Bella mushrooms and sliced them up after wiping them down. You don't want to wash the mushrooms intensely because you would be removing the fungi's nutrients. I then put all the ingredients except for the artichoke hearts into a bowl. Due to a time crunch, I only marinated in the refrigerator for about 2 hours though you can leave this overnight.


Step 3: Cooking the mushrooms
After a few hours, you can heat up a pan and once hot, pour the bowl's contents into the pan. The olive oil in the marinade allows you to omit adding oil to the pan. Saute your mushrooms until slightly browned. The mushrooms will release some liquids but retain all of that. Once they are cooked, pour all the contents back in the bowl. Add the drained artichokes hearts and mix well.


Step 4: Finishing
Put the bowl back into the fridge for about another hour or so as it is a cold dish. You may then serve as you see fit. I put all of mine around a bed of lettuce with hummus in the middle.