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Porcini mushrooms are usually found in the wild during a short period between September and November. They cannot be cultivated, so it is a common hobby in Italy and France to venture into the forest to forge them.
Due to their high demand, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find and are often imported from abroad.
As some countries do not use them as much, they are more abundant and easier to find.
Drying the Porcini is a convenient way of storing them for a long time and profiting from the large harvest that is not locally consumed.
Dried porcini can be added to any mushroom stir fry or recipe to add a rich, umami flavor.
They can be used in Risotto, meat pies, as a side dish to fried polenta, or for Bruschetta and pizza toppings.
How to dry the Porcini
If you are lucky and harvest more Porcini than you can eat, drying them is very easy.
- You first have to clean them with a brush and remove the roots.
- Cut them into slices of ¼ inch - 5 cm
- Lay them over a flat rack. A laundry drying rack is perfect.
- Leave them for a few days until the mushrooms are dried
Hint: you can also use a Food Dehydrator or dry them in the oven at low temperature for a few hours.
Worms in dried porcini
When you slice the Porcini, you may find that small worms have invaded some Porcini.
Before you throw them away, let them dry, and most of the worms will leave and die.
You will see small little holes in the dried mushrooms.
Although there is a chance that some will remain.
These worms are harmless and can be eaten if you are brave enough.
Ingredients
If you want to create a mushroom sauce or a more consistent side dish to add to a main, I recommend mixing the dried porcini with regular mushrooms to add texture.
You will need:
- Dried porcini Mushrooms
- Regular mushrooms
- Boiling water
- Salt and butter or olive oil for seasoning
- Garlic and parsley for additional flavors
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step instructions with images
Rehydrate the porcini
- Soak the mushrooms in very hot water until the water cools down to room temperature
- Drain the mushrooms
Hint: the water should have reached boiling temperature, but you do not need to boil the mushrooms
- Collect the water into a bowl as it is a concentration of Porcini aroma
- Place the mushrooms over a cutting board
- Cut them into fine pieces, as their texture tends to be meaty and chewy. If you prefer, you can also use a blender.
At this point, the mushrooms are ready to be used in the recipe you want to make.
Hint: The drained water is the most important ingredient, containing an intense umami flavor. It can be added to stocks or used to make sauces and gravies.
Mix them with regular mushrooms
The most common use of dried porcini is to mix them with regular mushrooms.
Because dried porcini do not have a great texture and tend to be chewy, regular mushrooms will bring back that smooth consistency.
- Stir fry some garlic cloves with butter
- Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and let them soften
- Add some of the soaking water to give more flavor. Let the water simmer to reduce for a few minutes
- Add the regular mushrooms and season with salt
- Once the mushrooms are done, garnish with parsley and serve as a side dish or add them to your recipes
Hint: The amount of water you add depends on how juicy your mushrooms need to be.
Uses
These mushrooms can be served as a side dish to crispy polenta or as topping on a Bruschetta.
As both polenta and bruschetta are dry, you want to have some juices on your mushrooms stir fry. Add water accordingly.
However, if you add your mushrooms to a chicken, beef pie, or quiche, you do not want to have too many juices as they will soften the pastry crust.
The water where the porcini have been soaked can be added to stock or soup.
For a gourmet celebration, add it to a homemade beef Consomme.
So much flavor with just one simple ingredient.
Substitutions
You cannot substitute dried porcini mushrooms with other dried mushrooms as their flavor is very different.
That is why the price of Porcini is higher than the others.
So, I think the only substitute for dried Porcini is fresh Porcini.
Equipment
You do not need any special equipment to use the dried porcini.
However, if you want to dry Porcini mushrooms, you can buy a Food Dehydrator or use a sweater laundry drying rack.
Storage
Once you have made your mushrooms stir fry, you can keep it in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.
If you need to store it for longer, you can freeze it, although fresh mushrooms do not freeze well. Their texture becomes spongy and watery.
If you are making these dried porcini mushrooms, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Dried porcini mushrooms
Ingredients (Commissions Earned)
- 1 package dried porcini about 1 ounce - 30 gr
- 10 oz fresh mushrooms
- 2 cloves peeled garlic cloves
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup boiling water to soak dried mushrooms
Equipment (Commissions Earned)
Instructions
Rehydrate the porcini
- Soak the mushrooms in very hot water until the water cools down to room temperature1 package dried porcini, 1 cup boiling water
- Drain the mushrooms
- Collect the water into a bowl as it is a concentration of Porcini aroma
- Place the mushrooms over a cutting board
- Cut them into fine pieces, as their texture tends to be meaty and chewy. If you prefer, you can also use a blender.
Stir fry
- Stir fry some garlic cloves with butter2 cloves peeled garlic cloves, ¼ cup butter
- Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and let them soften
- Add some of the soaking water to give more flavor. Let the water simmer to reduce for a few minutes. The amount of water you add depends on how juicy your mushrooms need to be.
- Add the regular mushrooms and season with salt10 oz fresh mushrooms
- Once the mushrooms are done, garnish with parsley and serve as a side dish or add them to your recipes
Video
Notes
- If you see holes in the porcini, they were made by worms. When the Porcini have dried, the worms leave and die. These worms are harmless and can be eaten if you are brave enough. You will not even notice them as they are extremely small and flavorless.
- Cut the rehydrated Porcini mushrooms into small sizes as they can be chewy
- The drained water is the most important ingredient, containing an intense umami flavor.
- The amount of water you add back to the mushrooms depends on how juicy your mushrooms need to be.
- Use the water to flavor stocks or soups
Nutrition
Porcini mushrooms in Norway
When I lived in Norway in the early '90s, Porcini mushrooms were abundant, and no one would pick them.
As a result, all of us, Italian expatriates, would spend our September and October weekends foraging Porcini mushrooms in the wild.
Porcini grew in different settings than the Italian forests in a colder climate than Italy.
While in Italy, we would find them in the shade, they grew in the sun in Norway. In addition, due to the abundant rain, their dimensions were huge compared to the Italian Porcini.
Unfortunately, their size and moisture had also diluted their flavors, their aroma was much milder than the small Italian Porcini.
I remember my sister, who couldn't find any, stopped on the side of the road to tighten her shoelaces.
She suddenly realized that what she thought was a rock was to lift her feet. It was a gigantic Porcino.
Once we mastered the new technique, we would return home with buckets full of Porcini.
As we couldn't use them all, we found a system to dry them and keep them for the winter.
That is what I shared with you above. We used a sweater drying rack.
Sebastian Vanderzeil
Well done - good story and simple recipe for dried porcini.
Laura
Thank you, I am glad you like it