Probably everyone of you knows porcini mushrooms. Even if you're not an avid mushroom picker, you can buy them at local markets in the autumn months, and they're available frozen or dried all year round. When preparing mushrooms, we must first know that it is not recommended to peel or wash them. Jurčki on...
Probably everyone of you knows porcini mushrooms. Even if you're not an avid mushroom picker, you can buy them at local markets in the autumn months, and they're available frozen or dried all year round. When preparing mushrooms, we must first know that it is not recommended to peel or wash them.
Jurčki on a plate
Jurček or autumn boletus is considered a prized mushroom. Young, firm specimens have the best taste. They can be eaten raw, fried in butter, mixed into pasta or potatoes, in risottos, soups, grilled... According to some data, between 20,000 and 100,000 tons of porcini mushrooms are consumed annually. Various spices can be used in the preparation of porcini mushrooms. The most common combination is garlic and parsley, although more innovative cooks are increasingly confusing parsley with thyme. Fresh porcini mushrooms, prepared on the grill with young cheese and a bunch of arugula, represent a divine combination of autumn flavors. Of course, dried porcini mushrooms cannot be used in a similar way, but they are still aromatic enough that, soaked in boiling water (we soak them for about 20 minutes and then drain), they can be used to prepare various sauces and risottos. For soups or sauces, we can also use the water in which we previously soaked the dried mushrooms. Grilled porcini mushrooms go perfectly with baked polenta and in combination with parmesan and balsamic vinegar provide a wonderful mixture of flavors on a base of different types of lettuce. An excellent spread can be prepared from porcini mushrooms and other mushrooms based on pine nuts or some other nuts and parmesan cheese, which can be offered as an appetizer spread on warm toasted bread. If we stick to the Mediterranean, porcini mushrooms can also be served on pizza, being careful not to put too many other toppings on it (salami, ...). Jurčki themselves have a rather strong taste. They can be combined with all types of meat: add them to poultry, pork, beef, they also go well with game dishes. In neighboring Italy, porcini mushrooms are also prepared with tomatoes and marinated in vinegar or oil.
If we have the opportunity to choose fresh porcini mushrooms, we carefully inspect them before buying. If they are yellowish under the hat, it means that the mushroom will soon overripe. We also avoid fruits that have dark spots or dots. We also carefully examine the bet mushroom: if we see tiny holes in it, this often means that it is the fruit of worms.
If we buy dried porcini mushrooms, we prefer to choose them packaged in such a way that we can see the dried fruits. The slices should be as large as possible and there should be as few traces of worms on them as possible. In addition to the mushrooms themselves, you can also find on the shelves olive oil flavored with porcini (suitable for enriching the taste of pasta, risottos, salads, etc.), various porcini spreads and "pies". Whatever form we choose, if the product contains the word porcini, we will certainly not be disappointed.
