DISH OF THE WEEK: Marinated Mushrooms from JOE’S ITALIAN DELI

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

In the coming weeks, don’t be surprised to see one or two more posts about the food around Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. If you read last week’s post, you know that I ventured out into the Bronx last week to visit the Bronx Zoo. And since it’s so close, I also paid a visit to the Little Italy in Belmont and stocked up on some of my favorite Italian specialities.

And in doing so, I realized a few of them were taken for granted by me and I never actually devoted a post to them.

Case in point are these marinated mushrooms from Joe’s Italian Deli. This sandwich shop and grocer has been a favorite stop on the tour I lead up here and we mostly come here for their impeccable housemade fresh mozzarella.

But somewhere along the way, I discovered an amazing little salad in their display case and have been obsessed ever since.

It’s a tangy salad of marinated mushrooms. I loved it so much I would almost always purchase a container for myself to share with the tour group. Even when someone claimed they didn’t like mushrooms, I politely pushed them and told them they had never had mushrooms like these.

And almost without fail, they fell for them.

Here, the wild mushrooms are first grilled and blistered before being marinated in vinegar, oil, garlic, and some hot chili flakes. Each bite is smoky, rich, and popping with meaty earthy mushroom flavor and oftentimes a hint of heat.

The mushrooms themselves are meaty and plump, only enhanced by the flavor potion they are soaking in.

They were overdue for a post on this blog and after picking up a container full last week, I finally gave them their due. Expect one or two more similarly beloved but overlooked Italian specialities on these pages in the coming weeks.