Mushroom Antipasto with Thyme and Mustard

This was a dish made for a picnic - it's just meant to be eaten chilled, in little servings with fresh bread.  The oil left over after all the mushrooms have been eaten makes for a great salad dressing (or you can simply dip your bread into it hehe).

Given the amount of ingredients above, you might have to do the cooking in batches (I did).

1. Heat a little bit of the olive oil in a pan.  Get it nice and hot and add the mushrooms.  You're looking to get some colour on them and to draw out the moisture so the oil needs to sizzle the mushrooms instantly - listen out for the sound.  You'll need to cook them like this for a few minutes, shaking occasionally.  Season.
2. Add the sliced shallots and toss.
3. When the mushrooms have some colour and the shallots have softened, trickle in the vinegar (I did two batches, so I used half the amount at a time).  You want most of it to evaporate quickly, so add it from the edge of the pan - otherwise the mushrooms will just boil in vinegar.
4. Add the oil (if doing two batches use half at a time, obviously) and toss.  It might seem like a lot of oil, but this is a chilled antipasto dish, it's meant to be kind of like dressed mushrooms - and the oil tastes yummy with bread...anyway bring off the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Gently stir in the thyme.  Add the mustard and mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Leave to cool, then chill in the refrigerator until your picnic.  Remember to pick up a fresh baguette or a ciabatta on the way!