Porcini

As a 35-year-old editor from Europe who has followed culinary trends for years, porcini hold a very special fascination for me. Hardly any other ingredient combines so much aromatic depth, natural elegance and culinary versatility. When the first autumn mists roll over the forests, for many gourmets the best time of the year begins: porcini season. Their earthy scent, reminiscent of damp forest floor, hazelnut and warm rain, awakens childhood memories and inspires new recipes. A colleague of mine always says that finding a single flawless porcino is like a small culinary lottery win — and every time I put a pan of porcini ragout on the stove I inwardly have to agree with him.

The porcino, also called Boletus edulis, is one of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Europe. Its firm, cream-colored stem, the distinctive chestnut-brown cap and the fine tube layer on the underside are unmistakable. What makes it so special is its intense but balanced aroma. Porcini taste nutty, spicy and slightly sweet — a combination that gives both simple dishes like scrambled eggs or risotto and festive menus a luxurious note. I remember a reporting trip to Tuscany where an older cook taught me that porcini should be seared briefly and seasoned with respect: “Don’t tell the mushrooms how they should taste — let them show you.”

The culinary range of porcini is impressive. Freshly cleaned, roughly chopped and tossed in a little olive oil with shallots, they unfold their full depth. Dried, they concentrate their aroma even more, so that just a few rehydrated slices can completely transform a sauce, soup or filling. A chef friend from Vienna insists on not throwing away the soaking water but filtering it finely through a cloth and using it as “liquid gold” for jus, risotto or polenta. I admit that since that tip not a drop of that golden-brown broth has been lost in my household.

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