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How to cook porcini mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms are appreciated nowadays, as they can be used to prepare various delicacies for the table, the simplest and most delicious salads, as well as preparations for winter. Probably everyone will agree that it’s pleasant to open a jar of pickled mushrooms in winter, decorate boiled potatoes with them, sprinkle with spices, and enjoy this dish. Therefore, we will learn how to properly collect mushrooms and cook them. So.
How to collect porcini mushrooms
The habitat of porcini mushrooms is vast; they grow in coniferous and deciduous forests of our country. The harvest period occurs at the end of August, although the last mushrooms are often found in October. Porcini mushrooms are cut with a sharp knife a little above ground level; they should not be pulled out of the soil. Preference is given to porcini mushrooms about 7 cm tall; overgrown specimens are mostly wormy and are not suitable for processing.
Mushrooms must be sorted on the same day they are collected. Wormy porcini mushrooms are discarded, and good ones are sent for further processing. Just before cooking, they are thoroughly rinsed in water.
It is important to remember that mushrooms are not suitable for long-term storage; they are used on the day of collection, at the latest within a day.
Washed mushrooms are cut into pieces (small specimens are left whole), the lower part of the stems is trimmed, and they are soaked for half an hour in cold salted water. Then the mushrooms are rinsed again and cooking of the main dishes begins.
How to boil porcini mushrooms
After the mushrooms are cleaned of dirt and thoroughly washed, you can proceed directly to boiling. This process consists of the following steps:
- The cleaned porcini mushrooms are cut into pieces, wormy parts are cut off with a sharp knife and discarded.
- A deep pot is filled with mushrooms and cold water is poured in until they are completely covered. Salt to taste. Turn on the stove.
- Immediately after the water starts boiling, reduce the burner’s power to minimum.
- Boil the mushrooms for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off the foam that forms on the surface with a slotted spoon.
- Our mushrooms are boiled. They are transferred from the pot to a colander, and when the water drains, into a deep plate.
How to fry porcini mushrooms in a frying pan
Fried porcini mushrooms are the most delicious dish with a high protein content. They are served at the table as a main dish and as a side with boiled cereals. A great combination is crumbly buckwheat with mushrooms.
There’s nothing complicated about cooking fresh, just-picked mushrooms - they are cleaned of dirt, needles, and thoroughly washed in water, then cut into pieces and fried in a pan with oil. When using frozen mushrooms, they should be thawed first and only then placed in the cooking dish.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms - 0.5 kilograms;
- onion - 1 head;
- pepper - 2 pinches;
- table salt - to taste;
- refined sunflower oil - 35 ml;
- butter - 20 grams.
Preparation:
- On a cutting board, cut the cleaned mushrooms. The size of the slices can vary, but it should be noted that mushrooms shrink significantly during thermal processing. It is advisable to cut medium slices, not too small and not too large. And of course, the slices should be of the same size.
- On a cutting board, dice the peeled and thoroughly washed onion. Another option is to slice the onion into half-rings or thin rings.
- Heat the pan with oil well on the stove, add the sliced mushrooms and stir well with a spatula. Set the heat to medium (if the pan is cast iron) or the lowest (if it’s a thin non-stick frying pan).
- When the mushrooms are lightly fried and the moisture evaporates, add the chopped onion and stir thoroughly. Fry both ingredients in the pan, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula.
- When the cubes of onion are fried and browned, it’s time to add the remaining ingredients - salt, pepper, and a piece of butter, which will give the dish a velvety texture and make the mushrooms soft. Fried porcini mushrooms can be served at the table.
It's useful to know. This recipe lists a basic set of ingredients. You can experiment and diversify the dish's flavor with fresh herbs, carrots, pieces of ripe tomato, or bell pepper.
Also try our step-by-step recipe for pickled porcini mushrooms, which is quick and requires no sterilization.
Potato casserole with porcini mushrooms
What else can you make with porcini? Be sure to try baking a casserole with potatoes. From quite simple ingredients, you get a masterpiece, a worthy competitor to restaurant dishes. The secret of a delicious casserole is fresh products (freshly gathered mushrooms). The cream for the dish should be fatty; low-fat products will make the dish watery.
Ingredients for the casserole:
- fresh porcini mushrooms - 2 large pieces (about 300 grams);
- fresh potatoes - 600 grams;
- hard cheese - 150 grams;
- cream (30%) - 150 ml;
- butter - 30 grams
- black pepper and salt - to taste.
Cooking process:
- Wash the potatoes with the skin on and bake them in the oven, or boil them in water until ready. Then cool them, peel off the skin, and slice into rounds.
- Clean, washed porcini mushrooms are cut into large slices - their thickness should not be thicker than the potato rounds.
- Cut butter is placed in a ceramic baking dish, white mushrooms are laid on top in an even layer, and then sprinkled with spices (salt and pepper). Cover with potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Pour the rich cream over the potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. The dish wrapped in foil is placed in the oven and baked for 30-60 minutes.
- Grated cheese is sprinkled on the potato casserole 5 minutes before the cooking is finished. The dish with the casserole is removed from the oven as soon as a golden crust forms on the surface of the potatoes.
A hearty, fragrant, and very-very appetizing dish is ready. You can invite everyone to the dining table. Enjoy your meal.
In this article, you learned how to properly gather porcini mushrooms, boil, fry, prepare for winter, and even make a casserole.
