One of my favorite things about living in country Tuscany is hunting for porcini mushrooms. Every Fall, I pull on my thickest gumboots and head out in the forest behind my house to search for funghi porcini.
With their meaty texture, pronounced flavor and heady, earthy fragrance, porcini are by far Italy's most valued wild mushroom, but the season is short and the fresh variety must be used within days of harvesting or it loses all its flavor. So, like most people living outside country Tuscany, dried porcini mushrooms are my go-to Fall ingredient. (lucky for you they are in this season’s culinary gold box!)
Not just a great alternative to the fresh mushroom, dried porcini are an Italian pantry staple in their own right. They pack a lot of flavor, and that flavor is richer and earthier. In fact, even a small amount of dried porcini mushroom will add enormous flavor to a dish.
With that in mind, we put together a list of our favorite 10 ways to cook with porcini mushrooms.
But before we dive in, just a quick deviation into how to prepare them for cooking. Dried porcini mushrooms need to be reconstituted with water before you can use them, and this produces two wonderful things: the mushrooms themselves and their flavorful soaking liquid. Both of which can be used in cooking.
Room temperature water is the best for soaking. It takes a little longer to soften the mushrooms, but it extracts less of the flavor from them, leaving more mushroomy goodness right there in the mushroom where it belongs. Give the soaked mushrooms a good rinse under running water to remove any hidden, stubborn grit.
As for the soaking water, this dark, flavorful broth should not be tossed away. Add it to the recipe you are soaking the mushrooms for, but beware, the flavor is strong and can overwhelm the dish. If you don’t want to use right away, store the liquid in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days or freeze for longer. Just remember to strain before using to remove any leftover grit.
Make porcini mushroom risotto
This classical Italian risotto made in the traditional way is nothing more than mushrooms, butter and Parmesan cheese. Both the porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid are used to flavor the dish during cooking along with chopped fresh mushrooms. For an added treat, grill some extra wild mushrooms in butter and serve on top of the cooked risotto.
You can pick up the recipe for a classic Southern Tuscan porcini mushroom risotto in our Fall food club box.
Pair with red meat
Porcini mushrooms are fragrant with an umami-rich aroma and flavor that melds beautifully with garlic and herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, and is an excellent complement to red meats, such as beef and lamb stews.
Lux up mashed potatoes
Mushrooms and mash are an unexpected hit of a food match. Stir the soaked and diced mushrooms through your favorite mashed potato recipe just before serving. Reserve the soaking liquid for another use.
If you’re feeling particularly decadent, season these mashed potatoes with a sprinkle of black truffle salt.
Add to a frittata
Who said a frittata was boring? Eggs and porcini mushrooms are natural companions as the velvet texture of the former suits the rich earthiness of the latter. Transform your average omelette in the king of breakfasts by adding the soaked mushrooms to a base of cream and eggs.
The soaking liquid can then be added to a pan of sautéed fresh mushrooms, which is folded through the egg mixture before cooking. Serve with chopped parsley and spoonsful of fresh ricotta.
If you’re feeling particularly special, you can also add a tablespoon of black truffle salsa to the egg mixture before cooking. Truffles and porcini mushrooms are the perfect bedfellows, after all.
Blitz for a seasoning salt
Simply blitz the dried porcini in a food mill until a fine powder forms. Dissolve into soups and sauces to deepen flavor or sprinkle onto steaks before searing. Otherwise mix with dried garlic and Italian herbs for a divine meat rub.
Photo of a luscious pumpkin risotto by Elizabeth Jones of Risotto and Steel
Sprinkle over popcorn
Basic buttery popcorn is hard to beat, but showering the popped kernels with the combined umami punch of pulverized dried porcini mushrooms and a drizzle of truffle oil sounds like it could get the job done. You can pop the kernels however you like: Stove-top or microwave or Jiffy-Pop, just remember to toss with the powder and oil while hot for maximum flavor.
Add to mushroom soup
Rich, indulgent and full of earthy flavor, mushroom soup is a Fall staple. The soaked porcini mushrooms and their liquid are sautéed in a pan along with fresh mushrooms, garlic and thyme before adding organic vegetable or chicken stock. Serve with plenty of parsley, lemon zest and a tablespoon or two of mascarpone cheese.
Try your hand at tagliatelle ai funghi porcini
The most traditional way to cook porcini mushrooms is as a sauce for tagliatelle (a long, flat ribbon pasta popular in central Italy). In Tuscany, the dried mushrooms are soaked and sautéed with fresh mushrooms, white wine, garlic and wild mint (nepitella) or thyme, but plenty of home cooks also like to rafforzare (reinforce) the dish by adding sausage meat to the pan while cooking. If you can’t find tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine will work too.
Add to cream sauce
While cream sauces aren’t super common in Italy, I really like sautéing my soaked porcini in butter and oil with shallots before seasoning and stirring through some heavy cream. It’s the perfect mid-week sauce for ravioli or tortellini, especially with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top.
Make mushroom ketchup
Definitely left field, but the recipes I keep seeing online for mushroom ketchup are pretty enticing, and I was surprised to learn that in the United Kingdom, ketchup was historically made with mushrooms.
Porcini mushrooms are perfect for this ketchup, paired with allspice, ground ginger, cloves and bay leaves. Use as a marinade, in the place of soy sauce or fish sauce, as a flavoring in soups or as a pan sauce for grilled meats with a dash of wine and a little butter.
Hungry yet? Our Fall-themed food box from our Gourmet Club ships 6 Italian culinary specialties, including carnaroli rice from Tuscany’s ONLY organic rice grower and producer. It also includes other delights such as EV olive oil, dried porcini, truffle salt, artisanal sheep milk Tuscan pecorino cheese and more!
Our Fall-box also includes a printed recipe to make a decadent porcini risotto- order today in time to be apart of your upcoming Thanksgiving dinner!
*All our gourmet boxes are priced and shipped to recipients within the United States and within Europe. Contact us if you have any questions!
