Porcini Mushroom
Raw Cèpes Salad
Because the mushrooms aren't cooked, it's important to use very fresh cèpes in this salad. When shopping, look for firm mushrooms with no dark brown spots.
By Lori De Mori
Planked Beef Fillets with Porcini Slather
This is one of our favorite ways to plank meat, especially boneless steaks and chops. We grill one side of the meat to give it the direct flame and char that tastes and looks so good, then we slide the uncooked side of the steak directly onto the plank. The result is a great contrast in textures, with the seared crisp char on one side and the tender woodsiness on the other side. We also add smoke flavor to this recipe, but you can omit the smoke if you want. The porcini slather makes a little more than 3/4 cup, and it will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. You will need only half of it for this recipe, so save the rest to use another time on pork chops or chicken. It's also great as a dipping sauce for bread.
Suggested plank: 1 cedar or oak grilling plank, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
Suggested wood: Apple, oak, or pecan chips
Suggested wood: Apple, oak, or pecan chips
By Karen Adler and Judith Fertig
Mushroom and Leek Soup with Parsley Dumplings
Porcini and crimini mushrooms give this hearty soup its deep, almost meaty flavor. Cottage cheese holds the cheesy, parsley-flecked dumplings together.
By Anna Thomas
Potato Gnocchi with Pork and Wild Mushroom Ragù
It does not get cozier than this hearty dish. Yes, you’ll make your own gnocchi. And yes, it’s totally worth the effort.
By Bruce Aidells
Wild Mushroom and Onion Kasha
Porcini mushrooms reinvent a traditional Eastern European pilaf and add oomph. Try it as a meatless main course.
By Marlena Spieler
Grilled Lamb Chops with Porcini Mustard
Rubbed all over with a mixture of garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper, then grilled, these chops are so good that you might imagine they need no further embellishment—until you try them with a dab of the pungent porcini mustard. For tips on how to cut a rack of lamb into chops.
By Kay Chun
Glazed Chicken with Porcini and Crisp Potatoes
Roast chicken may be the epitome of comfort food, but a few little flourishes can make it the stuff of dreams. Here, porcini mushrooms infuse the bird with a woodsy aroma while soaking up all that golden chicken goodness; then theyre tossed with potatoes to serve alongside. Take advantage of the liquid left over from soaking the dried mushrooms to make a glaze, tempering its earthiness with honey and Marsala. Brushed on during the last minutes in the oven, it turns the bronzed skin into a much-coveted treat.
By Andrea Albin
Veal Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore is a ubiquitous dish in Italian-American restaurants, but we think it is even more delicious when made with veal shoulder roast. Slowly braising the meat in a heady tomato sauce enriched with pancetta, olives, and porcini produces a dish so good, you'll find yourself sneaking nibbles all the way to the table. It's even better the next day—if you can contain yourself.
By Melissa Roberts and Maggie Ruggiero
Porcini Mushroom Soup
This soup is inspired by one that food editor Paul Grimes's Russian grandmother used to make. Dark and woodsy porcini mushrooms add potent aroma and depth and are enlivened by the acidity of tomatoes and the lovely brightness of fresh herbs.
By Paul Grimes
Luke's Wild Mushroom Orzo
Luke Ostrom is a great cook. We've worked together for a long time; we've spent long nights drinking and talking food; we even traveled through Italy together. He knows his stuff, no doubt. So when he tells me we should try something, I usually listen. But when he started going on about orzo in our opening-menu-planning sessions, I was less than enthusiastic. He loved it when he was a kid, he said. It was so soul-satisfying and delicious, he said. It would make a great side dish on our menu, he said. But I wasn't buying it. I thought orzo was the kind of comfort food you fed to children and invalids: too bland, too soft, too ... boring.
Boy, was I wrong.
Luke's take on orzo can definitely qualify as comfort food: it's hearty, warm, and delicious, the kind of thing you can't stop eating. But it's also grown-up and complex: the wild mushrooms give it a rich earthiness, and the orzo has a great mouth-feel. It's sort of like the mushroom risotto of your dreams—only it's way easier. It's a great match with poultry or meat; but as far as I'm concerned, ain't nothing wrong with sitting down to a big heaping bowlful of this stuff all on its own, topped with a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
By Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman
Spinach Porcini Stuffing
By Bruce Aidells
Mushroom Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata
Gremolata is traditionally made with chopped garlic, parsley, and lemon peel; this one incorporates chopped hazelnuts and uses orange peel instead of lemon.
By Tori Ritchie
Beef, Vegetable, and Wild Mushroom Soup
This soup gets a rich, earthy flavor from dried porcini mushrooms, which are available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at Italian markets and specialty foods stores.
By Martha Holmes and Max Holmes
Creamy Soft Polenta with Meat Ragù
Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico!
I serve this traditional side dish as an antipasto. Guess what? I like it more as a small plate to kick off a meal than as a side. On the other hand, you could serve this in larger amounts as a side dish or even instead of a pasta course. And because the ragu is even better the second day, I make a lot, so you will have leftovers. Soft polenta, blended with plenty of cheese and butter, is lusciously creamy and becomes the delicious base for the meaty mushroom and sausage ragu. This is a terrific start to a fall meal of fish and a salad. Polenta may be yellow or white; I prefer yellow because of its color and slightly earthy, intense flavor.
By Rick Tramonto
Potato Gratin with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone Cheese
Over-the-top delicious.
By Michael Lomonaco
Three-Mushroom Dressing with Prosciutto
Mushroom fans, this one's for you: a hearty rosemary-bread dressing made with dried porcini as well as shiitake and button mushrooms.
By Betty Rosbottom
Porcini Mushroom Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
Both the turkey and the gravy get big-time flavor from earthy dried porcini mushrooms.
By Bruce Aidells
Fettuccine with Wild Mushroom Sauce
To preserve and enhance the fettuccine's subtle flavor, toss it with a light sauce like this one.
By David Downie
Grilled Porcini Chicken
Mixing dried porcini with tomato paste is a simple way to omit butter and still keep chicken moist while infusing it with a woodsy mushroom flavor.
Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb Butter
Ground dried mushrooms become a flavorful crust for the steaks.