Porcini – known as Boletus edulis or penny bun mushrooms – is an edible mushroom that can be found fresh or dried. Porcini mushrooms have always been considered the king of mushrooms, the noblest, the most attractive (seemingly designed for the table), and the most flavorful for cooking. With a round white stem and a darker cap, porcini grow in the moist forest understory and can be picked between August and October. Its flesh is firm and solid with an intense, pleasing fragrance and a delicate flavor.
Porcini are quite versatile in the kitchen. They are great in risottos, with tagliatelle, or as a side dish. They can be the star in single dishes or a side for meat dishes. Porcini are fairly delicate, so they do not need a long cooking time. They can be stewed, fried, or eaten raw or with salad greens. Porcini are highly perishable, so when buying them, check that they look healthy, that they don’t have small holes in the stems or caps (indicating parasites or worms), and that they are nice and firm.
During their short season, they are well worth a try: we suggest five ways to serve them, so… Buon appetito!
1. Porcini mushroom sauce
Pan-sautéed mushrooms with tomatoes are a quick and tasty side dish. In a large pan, place oil, sliced garlic, and whole rump steak, a few oregano leaves, and a minced sprig of parsley. Clean the porcini mushrooms and cut them into chunks, add three or four tablespoons of tomato purée and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat when the mushrooms have cooked dry. Add salt to taste and serve.
2. Porcini mushrooms sauté
This is the classic way to prepare porcini mushrooms, perfect for enjoying them as a side dish or a topping for pasta or polenta. This is another dish that cooks up fast. After cleaning the mushrooms, cut them into thin slices. In a large pan, fry some sliced garlic in a drizzle of oil, then add the mushrooms. Cook over high heat for a few minutes or until they soften. Add salt to taste, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve. You can also serve the mushrooms with a cut of meat cooked rare for a dish that everyone enjoys.
3. Fried porcini mushrooms
Great as a side dish or appetizer, fried mushrooms are truly a treat. Gently clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut away the lowest part of the stem. Then cut the mushrooms in half and cut them into slices of the same thickness. Don’t cut them too thin or the mushrooms may fall apart. Dip each slice into cornflour and then fry them in a pan of hot peanut oil. Turn them with a fork and then set each piece on a plate lined with paper towels to remove the excess oil. Serve hot. If you like, you can make a batter of milk, flour, and egg to fry the mushrooms in. This will be a heartier dish.
4. Creamy porcini mushrooms
Need a special dish that comes together fast but is delicious? Then take some porcini mushrooms, clean them, and slice them thinly. Sauté them in a pan of oil with a clove of garlic. Salt to taste and add some fresh cream, nutmeg, and minced parsley. Cook until the cream thickens, then remove from heat. This delicious cream sauce can be used as a filling for a savory pie: simply line a baking dish with parchment paper and roll out some puff pastry or shortcrust pastry, place it in the pan, sprinkle some bread crumbs over the crust and then fill the pie with the creamed porcini. Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 350°F and serve very hot.
5. Porcini mushroom salad
A mushroom salad made with porcini is a delicacy that might be a new idea to many people. Some still turn their noses up at the idea of eating porcini without cooking them. And that’s a shame because fresh raw porcini mushrooms have a crisp texture and plenty of flavors. Gently clean the mushrooms, cut them in half, and then slice them thin with a mandoline or a truffle shaver. Dress them with olive oil, salt, and flakes of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.