Dried Italian Porcini Mushrooms 50g

In the vast culinary world of edible mushrooms the porcini (piglet) mushroom is the king. The Boletus edulis, or Cep is the ruling class of the delicious funghi. The soft meaty texture of porcini with its earthy and somewhat nutty flavour is unequalled among mushrooms and lends itself to countless dishes.

Porcini mushrooms may grow a rather large cap, up to 12 inches in diameter. It's usually brown or reddish-brown with a slightly sticky texture the stalk is usually short and round.

Our Porcini come from the uncontaminated Sila mountains in Calabriai. Just open the bag and marvel at the amazingly strong, heady aroma - this is the first sign of their quality. Then take a look at the large, whole pieces, not broken or flaky. They are full of flesh and destined to double their size in water.

Dried porcini are a great substitute to fresh as they have an amazingly strong and concentrated mushroom aroma adding flavour and depth to so many dishes. They are fabulous in soups, stews, sauces and pies and of course perfect for risotto ai funghi porcini and many other risottos. They are delicious lying on top of a thick succulent fillet of steak or chicken and very much at home in all kinds of pasta dishes. They are also full of protein and make a great meat substitute in vegetarian dishes.

Weight: 25g

How to prepare dried porcini mushrooms...

To prepare dried porcini soak them in just warm water to cover for 20 minutes or until they've expanded. Drain them and conserve the liquid. They're now ready for use in the recipe; if the recipe calls for liquid as well, filter the water they were soaked in and add it too -- you'll get lots more concentrated flavour. Sauté in olive oil, fry them in butter or add to a casserole for that inimitable nutty, woody taste.