SALADS: This is a very tasty salad to serve, especially if a mixture of wild mushrooms can be added to the common variety.

MARINATED MUSHROOM SALAD:

1 ½ lbs. small button mushrooms, washed and trimmed****                                 

marinade:

    1 ½ cups each dry white wine & chicken broth

    1/3 cup each olive oil &  lemon juic

    ¾ tsp. salt                                                    

    2 shallots, minced

    1 clove garlic, minced                                             

    5 sprigs parsley

    8 peppercorns, crushed                               

    6 cardamom pods, crushed

    ½ tsp. thyme                                                           

    1 bay leaf

lettuce leaves                                                              

minced parsley for garnish

In a saucepan, bring marinade ingredients to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, discarding the solids and returning liquid to saucepan. Add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer mushrooms with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Reduce broth over high heat to 1 cup; then add the reduced broth into the mushrooms. Cover bowl and chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.

At serving time, arrange lettuce leaves on chilled serving plates. Divide mushrooms equally and spoon them onto lettuce leaves. Pour some broth over each serving, and sprinkle with minced parsley.

 ****A variety of mushrooms of choice, or a combination of different types of mushrooms can be used to substitute for button mushrooms****.