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Porcini

November 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Dried Porcini

Dried Porcini

Today I saw some dried porcini at a specialist greengrocer in Queens Parade. I really wonder where they come from. The country of origin wasn’t marked on the packet and the shop assistant couldn’t help.

Porcini are basically European fungi and Poland is the biggest exporter. I’m still concerned about the effects from Chernobyl and, if I’m buying imported food, I prefer somewhere a long way away, such as Chile.

Porcini are not native to Australia although I believe they are now growing succesfully in New Zealand. I’m happy enough to use produce from New Zealand if I can’t get locally grown, it’s just across the Tasman after all. I adore New Zealand cheese, in particular from Taranaki, one of the best I’ve experienced is the wonderfully tart Wanganui.

Porcini go under a wide variety of names. Ceps is a common one. The contemporary Italian name porcini means “piglets” in Italian, an echo of the term suilli used by the Ancient Romans. Possibly these mushrooms reminded the Italians of little pigs, or refers to the fondness pigs have for eating them.

Reconstitution

You can reconstitute dried mushrooms by soaking or very gently simmering them.

Don’t throw out the soaking liquid! It can add more flavour to sauces than the mushrooms themselves.

You can also pulverise dried mushrooms with your food processor or blender. The resulting powder is superb in stews.

In any case, I now have some dried porcini. Time for a risotto. There’s a real pleasure in a simple meal that takes all of 25 minutes from chopping to chomping.

And I love Mushrooms!

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Risotto Portabella

May 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment

portabella

Any risotto dish is a hit on your table – but for some beginners it’s a trial to cook. When a risotto goes wrong it’s because there is too much liquid in the first place. Add any liquid gradually, don’t just blithely pour it in. I’ve seen recipes with six cups of water! That would make an interesting drink.

Ingredients
2 cups finely sliced onion
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
200-250g, 8 oz Portabella mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
Cup chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method

  • Trim mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss in a pan for a few minutes in minimal oil, stir until tender, set aside
  • In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, heat some oil. Toss onion and garlic until softened, 4 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat with oil. Add wine, stir till absorbed.
  • Add a cup of stock into the rice, stir until almost al dente. Add cooked mushrooms. If you think the mixture needs more liquid, add a little more stock. The risotto should be creamy, not runny.
  • Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese until completely dissolved. Stir in parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with remaining parmesan.

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The Ice Man and his Mushrooms

April 22, 2008 By Leave a Comment

In the winter of 1991, hikers in the Italian Alps came across the well preserved remains of a man who died there over five thousand years ago.

He became known as Utzi, the Iceman, and we have learned a great deal about this man, including what clothes he wore, where he lived, and what he ate.

Polypores

Uzi was well equipped with a backpack, flint axe, arrows and a string of dried Birch Polypores (Piptoporus betulinus), an attractive polypore, easily recognised by its habitat on birch wood. There is no stem, it grows straight out of the tree. At the top it’s beige to dark brown in colour and the underside is a beautiful pure white with a slightly scalloped edge.

If broken open when young, the flesh will be firm and white with a pleasant earthy smell but, as the fungus ages, it becomes tough and discoloured. It’s not poisonous to eat, but very tough. The Victorians used it as a razor-strop so you have an idea of its toughness. Before the invention of polystyrene, entymologists used to stuff packing cases with Piptoporus to keep their specimens safe.

This polypores can be used as tinder for starting fires and as medicine for treating wounds — or boiled into a rich tea with immuno-enhancing properties. Perhaps Uzi used birch polypores medicinally to stave off various internal worms as its antibiotic oils attack mycobacteria.

Uzi was well equipped for traversing the wilderness, aided by the noble polypores.

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Poached eggs with tomato and portabella

March 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Poached eggs with tomato and portabella

To cook under the griller.

4 portabella mushroom caps, stems discarded
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white vinegar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 thin slices cheddar cheese
1 tblsp finely chopped fresh chives

Method

Brush mushrooms and tomatoes with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange mushrooms, stemmed sides down, and tomato halves, cut sides up, on griller. Grill, turning over mushrooms halfway, until tender and tomatoes are slightly charred, about 7 minutes total.

Fill pan with 3 cms cold water. Add white vinegar, bring to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a cup, then slide into simmering water. Repeat with remaining eggs, spacing them in pan, poach at bare simmer until whites are firm but yolks still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle stemmed sides of mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, place 1 tomato half, cut side up, on each mushroom and top with an egg. Cover eggs with cheese slices, grill till cheese just melted, 1 minute. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

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