Few things are better suited to a no fuss summertime meal than a simple charcuterie platter. The ingredients are pulled from things you have on hand along with things from your garden or farmer’s market at a time when they are at their height of freshness.

A scrumptious platter is usually a mix of cured meats such as prosciutto, sopressata, salami; marinated or pickled vegetables such as artichokes, mushrooms, cucumber and so much more; any variety of cheese, olives, fruit and nuts and finally bread or crackers. Among these accoutrements are a wide array of choices so each platter can be totally personalized by you and you’ll find no lack of ideas to play around with.

This was a platter I put together the other night – just for me – based on what I had on hand and felt like eating. I always have cheese and olives and some sort of jarred pickled vegetables on hand, as well as fruit and some sort of nuts (or seeds) but a few days earlier I made a batch of roasted red peppers that are delicious with a piece of crusty country bread and I wanted some. Here is the recipe for roasted peppers.

I also had some lettuce in my garden and beautiful tomatoes from the farmer’s market and prosciutto. But the star of this platter is the marinated mushrooms I made the night before that I couldn’t wait to eat and of course share this easy recipe with you.

Marinated Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 pound (.45 kg) criminal mushrooms – cleaned and quartered.

1 small red onion – diced

1 clove fresh garlic – finely chopped

!/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Season with salt and pepper

Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Instruction

Clean mushrooms by brushing the dirt with a towel. dice and place in boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes until mushrooms are tender but still firm.

Transfer to a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, season to taste and add lots of fresh parsley.  Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight. Check seasoning and serve.