Mushroom Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• ½ cup hazelnuts;
• 2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped;
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar;
• 9 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil;
• 2 pounds mushrooms (I used Portabello), sliced thickly;
• 2 tbsp butter or clarified butter;
• 6 oz fresh greens (arugula or baby spinach are two great options);
• 1 tsp fresh thyme;
• ¼ cup shallots, finely chopped;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 375F. This step is only necessary if your hazelnuts still have the skin membrane on them. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 8 minutes. You will know they are ready, as the skin will have already started to rise off the nut. Allow them to completely cool and then roll them through your hands so that the skin falls apart. Set aside.
2. As the hazelnuts are roasting, you’ll have time to prepare the marinade/vinaigrette. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tbsp of shallots, vinegar and a dash of sea salt. Whisk the mixture together and set aside for 5 minutes. This will allow the shallots to absorb the vinegar. Once the 5 minutes has elapsed, you can go ahead and whisk in 7 tbsp of the olive oil. Set aside for later use.
3. In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, melt the butter or clarified butter and add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Throw in the mushrooms and sprinkle with the thyme and some salt and pepper to taste. The cooking time will very depending on what type of mushrooms you decided to go with. For the Portabellos, they need anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes, just until they have begun to turn golden and have shrunk in size quite a bit. At this point, you can add the remaining 1/4 cup shallots in with the mushrooms and continue cooking for another few minutes, until the shallots are soft.
4. Fill a large plate or bowl with the fresh greens. Transfer the mushrooms from the skillet on top of the greens. Pour over the vinaigrette and top with the hazelnuts (you may prefer to crush the hazelnuts). Eat and enjoy every last bite!