Fresh Porcini in Italy and Seattle!

November 1, 2007

Porcini at Cafe Flora in Seattle

Depending on where you are in the world, it is fresh Porcini (aka Cepes) mushroom season. The picture above is of 21 pounds of these beauties that were delivered to Cafe Flora the other day. I couldn't stop looking at them. They were so freshly picked that the gills were practically glowing olive green. The cell phone picture doesn't really capture it, but those puppies were around 10" tall!

Below you see the same mushrooms at the market in Florence, Italy from the end of September. It was just the early part of the season there and every good restaurant was featuring them in specials. I had them on pasta, pizza, risotto, and broiled in a tin foil packet with butter and white beans at Cibreo, a spectacular Florentine establishment. The flavor surprised me, it is mild compared to the intense musky flavor of the dried ones I use to make broth the rest of the year.

Have you seen these in your area? What do you like to do with them? What is the best way to really feature their unique qualities?

Porcini at the market in Florence, Italy

4 Comments

KathyF 2007-11-03 00:07:11

I brought back a couple from Rome, and made a white lasagna, but had to fill in with dried when one of the mushrooms didn't make it. It's a little daunting, having such a huge mushroom to work with, but it cooks down quite a bit.

Mamaliga 2008-12-06 16:17:32

Thanks for the post! Is there a place I can order fresh domestic (to USA) porcini mushroom? Or rather imported fresh? Thanks! Gabi @ Mamaliga.com

Melek Ozgur - Turkey 2010-10-28 11:48:45

we have these fungi in our forest tones of them ! we have a better and more tasty one and this one is not so favorable.Lactarius salmonicolor is the most favorable one in most of my country. I am so surprised seeing this mushroom classified as second class taste with 1000 eur price tag !