cooked mushroom and caramelized onion salad

If there’s one thing all Jewish families have in common no matter their origin, it’s our love for food. We always tend to overcook and have leftovers for days, which is not a bad thing, since we end up having lots of meals in the freezer for the nights we are too lazy to cook. Ever since I got married in 2014, I follow my husband’s Moroccan traditions when it comes to Shabat and holiday meals at home. Moroccan Jews tend to serve lots of salads at the beginning of a meal, followed by fish and then the main course. Their salads come in all varieties, from raw to cooked vegetables and from sweet to savory ingredients. This cooked mushroom salad is one of my new favorites — it’s both sweet and savory, goes deliciously well with warm challah bread or pita and can be served no matter the occasion!

Seasoned with soy sauce and honey, this cooked mushroom salad is another version of my asian stir-fried mushroom side dish, which happens to be one of the most popular recipes on the blog to date. This version incorporates balsamic vinegar into the mix, as well as sliced onions that are slowly caramelized in honey. The caramelized onions bring so much flavor to the mushrooms while the balsamic vinegar gives the salad a sweet note.

First begin by caramelizing the onions in a large skillet over medium-low heat. I use honey because it’s a healthier alternative than sugar, but if you don’t have any honey/follow a vegan diet/simply don’t like honey, you can of course use sugar instead. The onions take about 10 minutes to be caramelized, but you have to make sure that they don’t burn by stirring them often while they cook. Once ready, you can then add in the mushrooms and let them cook for another 10 minutes until all their liquid evaporates. The mushrooms are then seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and a bit more honey. This salad is delicious eaten warm or at room temperature.