Wild Mushroom Salad with Quinoa, Aged Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Shallot Marmalade
Not the fastest salad you've ever made, but it requires minimal effort beyond chopping shallots and mushrooms and packs an earthy, flavorful punch.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Caramelized Shallot Marmalade
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large shallots thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoons light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- kosher salt about ½-1 teaspoon
- black pepper freshly cracked, about 5-7 grinds
Wild Mushroom Salad
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- ½ pound oyster mushrooms coarsely chopped
- ½ pound shiitake mushrooms stemmed, halved, and thinly sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- kosher salt about ½-1 teaspoon
- black pepper freshly cracked, about 5-7 grinds
- red chile pepper about ¼-½ teaspoon
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley finely chopped, divided
- ½ cup quinoa soaked if desired
- red wine vinegar splash
- 6 ounces mesclun greens or arugula
- 4 ounces aged goat cheese shaved
- juice from ¼ lemon about 2 teaspoons
- lemon zest from ¼ lemon about 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Caramelized Shallots
- Thinly slice the shallots, using a sharp knife or food processor.
- Melt the butter together with the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat to medium low if the shallots start to brown too quickly. The shallots should become a golden brown and softened after 20-25 minutes.
- Add the sugar and red wine vinegar to the shallots, continue cooking until the mixture thickens and takes on a jamlike consistency, about another 15 minutes. If the mixture thickens so much it's difficult to spread, add a little water (about 1 tablespoon).
- Add the finely chopped fresh thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. The marmalade will keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Bring the shallot marmalade to room temperature before serving.
Wild Mushroom Salad
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Clean and slice all the mushrooms, place in the prepared roasting pan, toss all together with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and chile flakes (mixing thoroughly). Roast, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup oil, aged balsamic vinegar, thyme, and parsley. Season with salt, pepper, and stir again. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette in a small bowl.
- Add the warm roasted mushrooms to remaining vinaigrette (about 5 tablepoons), season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, soak the quinoa in cold water for 10 minutes, then rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for 1 minute. Drain well. Transfer to a small saucepan. Add 1 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon salt (or use 1 cup chicken broth); cover and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low; cook until quinoa is tender and water has evaporated, 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes, without lifting the cover. Stir quinoa into the marinated mushrooms together with ¼-½ cup of the caramelized shallot marmalade and a splash of red wine vinegar.
- Toss the greens with the reserved vinaigrette, shaved goat cheese, lemon zest, and a generous squirt of lemon juice (from ½ a lemon). Divide among 4 large plates. Top with the quinoa-mushroom salad. Garnish with remaining parsley leaves and serve.