Fresh Or Dried, Porcini Have

What’s the right name for this unique mushroom? The English name, “king bolete,” is rarely used by cooks. The Italian “porcini,” which means roly-poly little pigs, is playfully descriptive and rolls off the tongue in a way that suits the mushroom. You’ll also see this mushroom sold by its French name, “cèpe.” Fresh or Dried, Porcini Have

Here’s how to or more than twenty years, I’ve been When porcini are fresh, they have a Fan ardent “pot hunter,” one who meaty quality that responds well to grill- get the best from picks wild mushrooms for the kitchen. Por- ing and sautéing. The autumn porcini cini—the large, meaty, nutty-flavored season is much-heralded in Europe. In this prized wild mushroom—is one of my favorite quarries. Italy, when large quantities of fresh por- When the season and conditions are just cini are brought to village markets the day mushroom right, I go into the woods with my basket, they’re picked, a local café might serve compass, and pocketknife, as full of anti- the whole fresh caps, grilled and sea- cipation as a kid before an Easter egg hunt. soned, almost like steaks. Or the fresh Finding porcini, no matter how long you porcini might be sliced, sautéed in olive BY JON ROWLEY have been at it, is an addictive thrill. oil, and dosed with shallot, garlic, and an herb such as marjoram, oregano, mint, or PORCINI HAVE TWO DISTINCT parsley. Sometimes a squeeze of lemon CULINARY SOULS: FRESH AND DRIED juice adds just the right touch. Fresh and dried porcini are different in- Italians, as well as Poles, Russians, and gredients with different qualities, and other Europeans, like to marinate the they’re used differently in cooking. Think prized young porcini buttons whole. In of the difference between tomatoes and Russia, a mock caviar is made from a sun-dried tomatoes, grapes and raisins, mince of the marinated mushrooms.

plums and prunes. In northeastern Europe, where wild- Illustration: Dugald Stermer. Photos except where noted: Rita Maas

60 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press flat. Porcini are large mushrooms, often weighing one or two pounds each. Unfor- tunately, the largest are usually not the best because they’re often infested with insect larvae and beginning to deteriorate (see sidebar on p. 62). The flavor and texture of fresh porcini also depend on the age of the mushroom and how it was handled after harvest. These large mushrooms can be bruised by their bearing weight alone. You can’t always see the bruises, but they’ll give your mushrooms a slightly sour taste and a more slimy texture. Rough handling also speeds spoilage. In the field, I pick into a basket lined with spongy dry moss or soft pine boughs and try to keep the mushrooms a single layer deep. Fresh porcini, which cost $20 to $30 per pound, are best if eaten no later than the second day after being picked. Un- touched by insects and properly handled, young porcini will last nearly a week. With today’s overnight delivery services, ship- ping fresh porcini is possible. I’ve done it. It’s great when it works, but because of the insect problem and the mushroom’s per- ishability, it’s a dicey proposition at best. The pure flavor and aroma of porcini jump out of this simple sauté with shallots, parsley, and lemon. Give fresh porcini a gentle brush-off. Avoid washing fresh porcini unless ab- solutely necessary. They absorb water easily, which can interfere with proper cooking or drying. Use a soft brush to remove a Potent Appeal pine needles and soil. There’s no need to

mushroom foraging is practically a state re- porcini in butter or olive oil and season ligion, fresh porcini are sautéed or stewed with a little shallot and garlic. Then I do with sour cream and onions (dill is the wonderful things with it, such as pile it on herb of choice) or combined with potatoes toast (my daughter eats this as fast as I can in a skillet or in a casserole. Fresh porcini make it), fold it into mashed potatoes, stuff are also used in pastries, in soups, and as fillets of fish, and toss it with pasta. fillings; whole caps are stuffed and baked. Though I adore the flavor of fresh PICKING A FRESH PORCINI porcini, I did have a little problem with Whether you’re in the market or the for- their texture (I found the cooked caps est, look for firm, rounded caps with white slightly slimy) until I mentioned this tex- undersides. Fresh caps vary in color from tural quirk to Julia Child. She knew ex- ivory to tawny doeskin to biscuit brown to actly what I meant, and she suggested a cinnamon. As a rule (to which you will recipe that deals very effectively—and find many exceptions), the darker the cap, deliciously—with the problem, as it treats the more intense the flavor. Look for the the caps and stems separately (see p. 63). tubes under the cap to be white, tight, and Another technique I use to give me a firm, indicating young porcini. As the more pleasing texture is to grind the cap mushroom matures,the tubes become If you find porcini like these, cook them quickly. into a coarse mince(much like a classic yellowish and then olive green, and the The season is short, and the mushrooms are very French duxelles). I just sauté the minced shape of the cap changes from convex to perishable.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1995 61 Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press peel fresh porcini, but some people re- southeast Alaska—my first and best-ever shops or by mail-order. Expect to pay $4 to move the spongy tubes on the underside find: three enormous but perfect porcini, $5 for half-ounce packets. This translates of mature caps if they’re soft. Cut away any the largest of which was at least five to about $150 per pound, but the price gets spoiled or buggy sections of the mushroom. pounds. (I still dream about them.) much more reasonable when you buy in Unlike cultivated mushrooms, porcini and I brought my haul back onto my com- larger quantities. At around $50 a pound, other wild varieties need to be cooked be- mercial salmon boat, where I cut the por- you won’t hesitate to use them whenever fore eating. You can eat both the cap and cini in slices, and then threaded the pieces you want to add a deep, smoky note to a the stem. The two parts of the porcini are (with a sail needle) into garlands, which I dish. And a little dried porcini goes a long often dealt with separately, because each hung overhead wherever I could find way. One pound of dried starts with ten has its own texture: the stem is denser and room. In a matter of hours, my not-so- pounds of fresh. the cap reminds me of a firm pillow. The best-quality porcini should be free of any sign of what one dealer friend refers DRIED PORCINI WILL BECOME Porcini are the perfect to as “thread and lace,” the rough texture A STAPLE IN YOUR PANTRY and pinholes made by insects vacating the The season for fresh porcini is madden- seasoning for those who mushrooms during drying. The less perfect ingly short, but you can use dried porcini specimens should be priced accordingly. all year long in countless ways, and they’re cook vegetarian dishes For tips on choosing the best-quality dried a lot easier to find. Once you start cooking porcini, see the sidebar at right. with them, you’ll likely find dozens of uses, but miss meat’s rich taste. such as in sauces, stews, soups, pasta WITH DRIED PORCINI, dishes, risottos, and even in bread. They’re THE SOAKING LIQUID IS the perfect seasoning for those who cook large galley was redolent with that rich, THE MAIN INGREDIENT and eat more vegetarian dishes, but who nutty, woodsy, undeniably erotic aroma of As with any dried mushroom, dried por- miss the rich taste of meat. If stored in air- drying porcini. When the mushrooms cini need a thorough soaking before use. tight bags or jars, dried porcini aren’t per- were as dry as they would get (brittle For each half-ounce of dried porcini, I add ishable, so they’ll wait patiently in your enough to snap), I stowed them in zip-lock one cup of hot water. You should add or cupboard until you’re ready to use them. freezer bags. As I drew from my serendipi- subtract mushrooms from that ratio to Sometimes dried porcini develop more in- tous stash little by little during that fall and modify the intensity of the liquid to suit tense flavors after long storage. winter, I learned about the extraordinary your particular recipe. If you’re lucky enough to have a surplus character of the dried porcini. Soak the porcini for 30 minutes, and of fresh specimens, you can dry them your- You can buy dried porcini in most then take the mushrooms out and squeeze self. I first did this after a major find in grocery stores, and of course in specialty out all the liquid. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove any soil or mulch that may have dried with the mushrooms. Check for bugs when buying fresh porcini This is your porcini liquor—a potent name for a potent ingredient. Use it sparingly, be- When you buy or find inside has been con- that I know of. I’m cause too strong a flavor can overwhelm and ruin a dish. fresh porcini, one of sumed, but otherwise sure many are inad- The liquor’s flavor fades quickly, so if your main concerns is you can’t tell from the vertently consumed you don’t use the porcini liquor the same the many porcini- outside how many by the unwary. day, freeze it. (You can use the mushroom loving insects (which wigglies might pieces, after a quick rinse, but they’re of I’ll call “boletivores”) be in the mush- secondary importance.) that invariably lay their room. If in Make an earthy “spice” from dried porcini. Another way to use dried porcini eggs on the mushroom. doubt, ask the is to turn them into a fine powder with The incubation period vendor to slice an electric coffee grinder. The flavor and for the eggs is between the mushrooms aroma of porcini powder is released by 16 and 48 hours. It’s you select in half contact with moisture. Season fish or difficult to just look lengthwise. chicken by patting on a light coating of the at a mushroom and As unappetiz- powder. Add a small spoonful to a sauce or broth, dust it over steamed vegetables, or detect insects. The ing as they are, even work it into bread or pasta dough. stem will give when insect larvae A look inside a fresh porcini by author Make only small quantities of powder at squeezed if a signifi- pose no threat Jon Rowley and a vendor at Seattle’s one time, though, because the flavor can cant amount of flesh to human health Pike Place Market. become unpleasantly strong when exposed

to air for a long period. Photo at left: E. Scott Wellsandt

62 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press Another delicious and versatile condi- ment is porcini-ﬂavored oil. I make it using a very simple method: slip about an ounce of dried porcini pieces into a 16-ounce bottle of extra-virgin olive oil and then wait. The ﬂavor develops slowly; my last batch took about two weeks. For a different method, see the recipe for sautéed halibut with porcini powder and oil, below.

Sautéed Fresh Porcini This French recipe for fresh porcini, called cèpes à la bordelaise, was given to me by Julia Child, who got it from a classic French cook- book, La Cuisine de Madame St-Ange. Serves four as an appetizer.

1 lb. fresh porcini, wiped clean with a soft cloth 1⁄2 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 Tbs. unsalted butter 2 Tbs. ﬁnely chopped shallot Squeeze of fresh lemon juice 1 Tbs. ﬁnely chopped parsley

Cut the porcini caps into 1⁄2-inch slices and chop the stems into small dice. Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan. (Don’t worry about the large amount of oil—you’ll pour most of it off, but you need a lot to get the porcini properly browned.) When the oil is very hot (just starting to smoke a bit), add the caps in an even layer and fry until well browned, about 2 min. on each side. Turn the heat to low and cook another 4 to 5 min. until A fragrant dusting of dried porcini powder gives a deep and smoky accent to sautéed halibut. tender. Increase the heat to high, and give the slices a final sauté for 1 to 2 min. until they’re crisp again, turning once. Transfer to a serving dish and season with salt and pepper. A guide to buying the best dried porcini Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of oil from the pan (if the oil seems burned, pour it all off and start the more intense the pieces from large with 1 Tbs. fresh oil), return the pan to high flavor (usually), and mature caps with pre- heat, and add the butter. When foaming, add the shallots and chopped porcini stems. Sea- the more judicious dominantly dark green son with a little salt and pepper and sauté un- you’ll need to be when tubes. til lightly browned, about 1 min. Transfer to the cooked slices, squeeze on a little lemon • adding the soaking Avoid porcini with juice, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immedi- liquid to recipes. Ex- lots of tiny holes (evi- ately, with toasted country bread. tremely dark porcini dence of prior extensive may be older and un- larvae habitation). Halibut al Tabaccaio The quality of dried pleasantly strong. • Smell before you buy, (Halibut “tobacco style”) This recipe, by Fine Cooking’s contributing • porcini sold in this Whatever the color, if possible. The aroma editor Paul Bertolli, calls for powdered por- country is uneven, so to look for uniformity of should be deep, rich, cini, which can only be made in a very clean help you make a smart color among pieces. pleasant, and inviting. spice or coffee grinder. The powder is used to coat the fish before it’s sautéed, and it • • purchase, here are a Look for mostly cap Look for the Latin turns the fish a deep tobacco brown, hence few pointers: pieces or a mix that has name (Boletus edulis) the name of the dish. Serves four. • Large pieces are usu- no more than 50% on the package, which 1⁄2 oz. dried porcini ally preferable to small. stem pieces, but avoid should guarantee that 11⁄4 lb. fresh halibut (or fillets of Atlantic cod, true snapper, grouper, striped bass, or halibut) • The darker the color, mixes with too many they’re the real thing. Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Photo at bottom right: Sloan Howard (Ingredient list continues)

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1995 63 Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press 1⁄4 cup neutral-flavored cooking oil (such as tip of a knife, 4 to 6 min. per side. Serve on come to room temperature, and then seal canola or peanut) warm plates with a wedge of lemon and the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store the oil Porcini Oil (see recipe at right) about 1 Tbs. porcini oil (solids included). in a cool, dark place for several days before In a spice or coffee grinder, grind the porcini using. Refrigerated, the oil will keep for up to three months. to a fine powder, rotating the grinder as you Porcini Oil go so that all the porcini come into contact Yields 2 cups. with blades. Pour the powder onto a plate. 1 oz. dried porcini Saffron Risotto Cut the fish into four equal portions and 1 cup water with Dried Porcini season on both sides with salt and pepper. 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil Fine Cooking contributing editor Paul Ber- Let stand for about 10 min. This allows the 1⁄2 tsp. salt fish to “sweat,” as the salt draws moisture to tolli, who created this recipe, recommends In a small saucepan, combine the porcini the surface and makes it easier for the por- a rich poultry stock made from turkey. and the water. Cook over high heat until all cini powder to adhere to the fish. Serves six to eight. the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat Dredge the fish in the porcini powder, coat- to low, add the olive oil, and heat until the 1 oz. dried porcini ing it heavily on all sides. (If you don’t use all oil reaches 250°F; keep it at that tempera- 2 qt. rich poultry stock the powder, seal the remainder in a jar or a ture for 10 min. 5 Tbs. unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine plastic bag for later use.) Remove from the heat and let cool. Put the 1 pinch saffron (about 30 threads) Warm the oil in a well-seasoned cast-iron or oil (including the mushrooms) and the salt 2 oz. pancetta (unsmoked Italian bacon), 1 nonstick frying pan. Sauté the fish over in a blender and blend to a coarse purée. sliced ⁄8 inch thick and then diced medium-high heat until it yields easily to the Pour into a one-pint glass jar, let the oil 2 cups canaroli or arborio superfino rice 3⁄4 cup dry white wine

The pleasures (and cautions) of mushroom foraging

If you know where to wild mushrooms in a FIELD GUIDES: look, porcini can be package, and it’s infi- Mushrooms Demystified found in many parts of nitely more satisfying. (2nd ed.), David Arora, North America in the The cardinal rule is 1986, Ten Speed Press. late summer and fall, to never eat a wild The Audubon Society after rain. The first hard mushroom that hasn’t Field Guide to North frost marks the definite been positively identi- American Mushrooms, end of the season. fied. Fortunately for the Gary H. Lincoff, 1981. Where I live, in the cook, porcini are Pacific Northwest, among the easiest and RECOMMENDED we’re blessed with two safest to identify. The READING: porcini seasons—once first step to becoming a Mushroom: The Journal in the spring at the tail self-sufficient forager is of Wild Mushrooming end of the morel season, to obtain good field (published quarterly), on the eastern slopes of guides. I advise using at Mushroom, 861 Harold, the Cascades, and again least three field guides, Moscow ID 83843. after rain in the fall on one of which must be the western slopes. specific to your region. FOR REFERRALS TO LOCAL MYCOLOGICAL Picking wild mush- The next step is to join SOCIETY CHAPTERS: rooms would be a risky a local mycological so- proposition if one were ciety. This will take ten North American Myco- to eat every mushroom years off the learning logical Society, 3556 encountered—a few are curve, I assure you. Oakwood, Ann Arbor, fatal. Approached You’ll receive a news- MI 68104.

Picking your prize. Finding a porcini gives a cautiously and respon- letter, can take identiﬁ- Mycological Society of special satisfaction. Foraging for wild mush- sibly, however, wild- cation classes, and go America, Room 329, rooms needs little equipment, good judgment mushroom foraging is on mushroom forays BOIA, BARC-West, (and good ﬁeld guides), and lots of patience. as low-risk as buying with experts. Beltsville, MD 20705. Photo at left: E. Scott Wellsandt

A wine that tastes ﬁne by itself, and even better with beef or lamb, takes on extra layers of depth and complexity with an added morsel of meaty mushroom.

Sautéed Fresh Porcini. This is a rather light treatment, and depending on what else you were serving, I could see either white or red wine in the glass. A light Sauvignon Blanc would be a good way to showcase the porcini, whose ﬂavor is a bit more intense than that of the wine. What’s more, the wine’s light herbal tones would pick up on the herbs in the dish, and the lemon juice would match the wine’s high acid. If you’d rather highlight the wine, serve a light red instead: anything with low tannin and good acidity. A fresh, young Valpolicella or a Beaujolais, slightly chilled, would be a treat.

Saffron Risotto with Dried Porcini. If you can locate an older Italian red that has developed mushroomy flavors, this dish is an excellent excuse to open it and show it off. Otherwise, my top pick—given the pancetta—would be This risotto gets a double dose of porcini, with a mushroom-infused broth and dried porcini slices. a Pinot Noir. Believe it or not, some of the fuller- bodied bottlings have flavors of bacon in the wine, as well as a rich, mushroomy earthiness, 1 Salt and freshly ground black pepper Continue adding broth in ⁄4-cup incre- which will bring out the same qualities in both 1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano ments as the rice begins to absorb it, keep- the wine and the food. cheese ing the risotto at a constant simmer and stir- In a medium saucepan, add the porcini to ring often. Keep the level of the broth just Halibut al Tabaccaio. This unusual preparation the poultry stock; bring it gently to a sim- above the rice. is one of those intriguing “borderline” dishes mer, remove from the heat, and let stand After about 15 min., the rice will have lost that work well with either red or white wine. In until the porcini are tender and rehydrated, most of its hard-kernel quality but will still be fact, you could put the “white wine with fish” 8 to 10 min.—but not more than about firm in the middle. Continue to cook for 3 to dogma to the test by serving a glass of each 10 min., or the porcini will render all their 5 min. more. Taste for texture; when it’s still and inviting your guests to talk about what they flavor and taste bland in the rice. Strain, re- slightly chewy but yielding, add the remain- serving both the porcini and the broth. Re- ing butter, and season with salt and pepper. like and why. turn the broth to the heat and bring it to a (Remember when you add the salt that you’ll The porcini powder enriches this recipe so low simmer. later add cheese, another salty element.) dramatically that any white wine you serve has to In a heavy, 6-qt. saucepan, warm 2 Tbs. of Finally, correct the consistency of the rice and be powerful. A big, creamy, oak-aged Chardon- the butter, add the onions and saffron and surrounding liquid by adjusting the heat. The nay with good acidity would bring out the flavors cook until the onions begin to soften, about goal is to bring about a marriage of rice, of the dish while adding harmonious vanilla, 5 min. Add the pancetta and cook for about broth, and the final addition of butter: the butter, toasty, and even nutty flavors of its own. another 3 min. Increase the heat and add mixture should be nearly pourable, the whole For a red, keep it light: the fish is delicate to the rice, stirring often to prevent it from reduced to the point that there is no separa- start with, and too much tannin in a wine can sticking to the bottom of the pan and to tion between broth and rice. Serve at once in make sure it is well coated with hot butter. warm, wide bowls. Sprinkle with parmigiano- make fish taste unpleasantly fishy. Once again, When you notice the rice turning from reggiano at the table. I’d opt for a Pinot Noir to echo the earthiness of opaque to shiny and translucent, add the the porcini, but a lighter one this time to give the wine. Let the wine reduce away, add the re- During the mushroom season, Jon Rowley, fish a chance to share the spotlight. hydrated porcini, and then add enough hot —Rosina Tinari Wilson is a food and wine writer broth to just barely cover the rice, about who has a food and restaurant consulting and teacher based in the San Francisco area. She 11⁄2 cups. Stir well, reduce the heat, and business in Seattle, is never quite out of simmer gently, stirring often. the woods. • is a contributing editor to Fine Cooking.