Marinated Mushrooms and Colorful Pasta Salad

This isn’t exactly the recipe I had intended to share today. I had planned to share a recipe for Pasta Salad that I have been using for years. It’s one of my own creation.  But before we get into the salad itself, let me share a backstory here . . .

When Hubby and I first married, way back in the stone ages, he didn’t know that I would rather be inspired by a recipe than follow one. Most of the time, I’ll look at a recipe as merely a suggestion. Take from it what I like, ignore the things I don’t and add my own spin. We should all be doing that. Food is personal, and it should be viewed as such, as an expression of our likes.  In the case of my pasta salad, there was no recipe. I’ve eaten pasta salads, knew basically what went into the salad and went from there. He watched in amazement as I wandered through the market, picking and choosing what I wanted to toss into the mix. There was an office pot luck coming up, and I had been assigned the category of salad. So my “recipe” was born. It’s one that has been a hit at gatherings for years. The recipe is simple – take a bunch of things that have already been marinated, dump them together and let them marinade some more. The longer, the better.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was making Italian Hoagies for dinner. The Packers were playing, and I wanted Brats with a spin. Hence the Hoagies for dinner.

Anyway, the side planned for the Hoagies was my pasta salad. We were able to find everything we needed, with the exception of one single ingredient. In my opinion, it was a key ingredient – the marinated mushrooms. Hum, what to do? The answer was simple enough – buy some fresh mushrooms and make my own marinade. How hard can that be? As it turns out, making delicious marinated mushrooms is a snap. While the recipe was for the mushrooms to be added to the salad, it could easily be modified for marinated whole mushrooms for a variety of applications.

Enough of my rambling. Here are my recipes for both the mushrooms and the pasta salad. Remember, take from it what you like, change things to suit your tastes. Ignore this completely if you want, that’s okay too.

Quick Mushroom Marinade
4 large White Mushrooms
Olive oil as needed
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, grated
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
1/4 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 pinch Kosher Salt

Scrub the mushrooms well, pat dry with a paper towel. Trim the stem from each mushroom. Slice as you would for a salad and set aside.

Lightly oil a heavy bottom skillet with a splash of olive oil. Heat over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, sauté until mushrooms are soft and have released most of their moisture, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine red wine vinegar and olive oil. Peel garlic, grate directly into the bowl. Add pepper flakes, basil, oregano and thyme. Season to taste with a pinch of salt. Whisk together.

Once the mushrooms are cool to the touch, add to the marinade. Stir to combine, coating the mushrooms in the liquid.

Let sit for 30 minutes before using the mushrooms in the salad.

Colorful Pasta Salad
2 cups Tri-Color Rotini (about 6 oz)
4 whole Marinated Mushrooms with Juice (above)
7.5 oz Marinade Artichoke Hearts with Juice
1/2 cup Marinated Stuffed Olives, sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Green Onion, chopped
Zesty Italian Salad Dressing as needed
Red Wine Vinegar as needed
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Bell Pepper Rings, 1 of each color

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse well under cold running water. Set aside to continue draining.

In a bowl, reserve liquid from marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Chop mushrooms and artichoke hearts into salad-size pieced. Place in a large serving bowl, preferably glass.

Core and slice half of each bell pepper into ring cuts, reserve 1 of each color, chop the rest of the bell pepper into salad-size pieces. Add to the marinated vegetable mixture. Slice the stuffed green olives in half. Add to the bowl. Slice the green onion, sprinkle over everything. Toss well to mix.

Combine reserved liquid, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup salad dressing and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Whisk to blend. Pour the dressing mixture over the mushroom mixture. Set aside for about 10 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Add pasta to mushroom mixture, toss to combine. Season pasta salad with salt and pepper. Smooth top of salad and arrange pepper rings in a decorative patter.

Cover and refrigerate salad for several hours or overnight.

Note: The longer the salad is allowed to sit in the refrigerator, the more the pasta will absorb the liquid. The salad may appear dry the following day. Add enough Zesty dressing to return to the desired dampness. Taste and adjust flavors according to personal preferences.