I woke up this morning with an absolute craving for porcini mushrooms. We use dried porcini year-round for soups and risotto, but I haven’t had fresh ones for a few years, and I’ve only had them in restaurants. I made a call, and found a local source.
We buttered and then grilled a few slices of my “almost no-knead bread” on both sides until they had a slight char, spread the tops with some very mild, melting telemé, topped with quartered (large!) porcini that we’d sauteed in butter, and then finished with some finely chopped parsley and crunchy sea salt. We were not shy with the butter (Thanks for the tips, Scott).
I enjoy shiitake, morels, and all the various mushrooms that show up at the farmers’ markets, but there’s just nothing like porcini for intensity of flavor and succulent texture. These were like morsels of pure animal fat. It’s hard to believe something so rich and beefy never mooed. Paired with an '00 Produttori Ovello that was a bit too young, but that didn’t stop us from draining the bottle.
While porcini are still in season, I’d love to hear your favorite uses for them. We went very simple tonight because dinner was all about the mushrooms, but now I’m dreaming of something that includes bloody steaks, veal demi-glace, and more porcini.