Mushrooms in Escabeche with Red Bell Peppers and Chile de Arbol
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
5 Tbsp olive oil, divided, plus 1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
1 1/2 lbs shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, quartered if large
3/4 lb oyster mushrooms, broken into small clumps
9 dried chiles de arbol
1 lb white onions, halved lengthwise, thinly slice crosswise
10 garlic cloves, peeled
6 bay leaves
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Worscestershire sauce
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Sherry wine vinegar
Fresh parsley leaves
Instructions:
Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in a paper bag 15 minutes. Peel and seed peppers, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch wide strips.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add button mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are softened but still hold shape, about 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a large bowl. Add 2 Tbsp oil to the same skillet. Add shiitake mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the same bowl. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in same skillet. Add oyster mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the same bowl. Reserve skillet.
Toast chiles de arbol in a small skillet over high heat until just beginning to darken, about 15 seconds. Transfer 3 chiles to spice mill and finely grind. Reserve remaing whole chiles.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in reserved skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients, 1/4 tsp of ground chiles de arbol, and remaining 6 whole chiles de arbol. Stir to coat. Add 3 cups water and both vinegars. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then pour vinegar mixture over mushrooms in bowl. Add red pepper strips. Cool completely. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
Strain mushroom escabeche over large bowl. Arrange drained mushrooms on a large platter. Discard garlic cloves and bay leaves. Drizzle mushrooms with some of marinade. Garnish with parsley leaves and serve.
Serves 12.
From epicurious.com.