Porcini Mushrooms

Description

Size: 1 lb [454g]

What are Porcini Mushrooms?

Porcini in Italian means “piglets”,
They are also known as Bolete, cep and cèpe. They grow in Europe, Asia, Mexico, the United States and Canada. In the western USA, Fresh & Wild’s foragers typically harvest Porcini in the spring and fall.

Porcini are prized by food afficianados all over the world for their extraordinary but mild flavors and firm, meaty texture.

The above-ground, edible Porcini is actually the fruiting body of the fungi, which form symbiotic ectomycorrhizal associations with trees by enveloping the tree’s underground roots with sheaths of fungal tissue.

What do Porcini Mushrooms Look Like?

You can recognize Porcini by their rounded, slightly sticky light to reddish-brown caps and thick, meaty stems (also known as stalks). The King Bolete (Boletus edulis var. grandedulis) is a larger variant with a darker colored cap. Rather than gills, Porcini have a layer of spongy spore tubes which grow underneath the cap, appearing white when young and progressively turn dark yellow to brown as the mushroom ages. The color and condition of these spores are key to grading. The spore layer is considered a delicacy, but it’s removable if you don’t like it.

What do Porcini Mushrooms Taste Like?

Chefs adore their mild, nutty flavors and meaty, creamy texture. Fresh Porcini offer the best flavor when young and the gills are light in color. Slicing the stems reveals their pure white flesh.
Porcini feature in varied cuisines including Italian, French and German.

How do you cook Porcini Mushrooms?

From a culinary perspective, they’re one of the most versatile wild mushrooms. You can saute, grill, roast or deep fry them. Fresh Porcini mushrooms are excellent chopped and sauteed in butter or olive oil, then added to pastas, polenta and risotto dishes as well as a topping for bruschetta or pizza. They’re also wonderful in soups, stews and sauces.

Recipes for Porcini Mushrooms

During Porcini season, one of our favorite ways to cook them is on the grill – this lets the sensational flavor of the Porcini shine. Check out the picture from our test kitchen, which shows grilled Porcini topping a burger right before serving on the buns.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
½ lb Porcini Mushrooms (Grade #1 or #2)
1 lb Ground beef, 20% fat
4 oz Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese
1 cup pickled onions
Merula Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
Telicherry Peppercorns
4 Hamburger buns
4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

METHOD
Brush the Porcini to remove all dirt, pine needles, etc. Slice them lengthwise into ¼ inch slices. Paint both sides of the Porcini slices with a light coat of the olive oil. Season both sides with pink salt and freshly ground pepper.
Form 4 burger patties, seasoning on both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill Porcini over low heat, turning when grill marks appear.
Grill burgers to your liking and rest for 5 minutes.
As the burgers are resting, paint inside surfaces of buns with the olive oil and grill lightly.
To assemble, set burgers onto bottom halves of the buns and place 1 – 2 Porcini slices onto each burger. Top with crumbled Rogue Smokey Blue Cheese, pickled onions and mayo.
Garnish the plates with remaining Porcini slices.

Where to buy Porcini Mushrooms?

Farmers markets on the west coast, and gourmet / specialty grocers across the country may offer fresh Porcini, but they are one of the most difficult wild mushrooms to source. Fresh & WIld can ship top quality, professionally graded and sorted Porcini direct to your door with next day shipping.

Substitute for Porcini Mushrooms

It’s difficult to substitute for Porcini mushrooms, as their flavor and texture are quite unique. When Porcini mushrooms are not in season, Maitake, Eryngii or Oyster mushrooms would make adequate substitutes for Porcini mushrooms in most recipes, and Fresh & Wild carries them year ‘round.

Additional information

Weight	1 lbs
Shipping Speed	Ground (2-5 days), Next Day