Picking Porcini: Explore The Wild Side Of Mushrooms - The Irish Times

FoodPicking porcini: explore the wild side of mushrooms

Fresh porcini are harder to come across than dried ones, but it’s worth seeking them out

JP McMahonSat Aug 25 2018 - 06:00

Where were all the mushrooms when I was growing up? Did the fairies hide them? Or were they there and we were too afraid to pick them? Europeans have long loved their wild mushrooms. I first encountered porcini in an Italian cookbook in my early teens. For me, they were always exotic, always an example of the wonderful products from far and abroad. Little did I know they proliferated in the Irish countryside, under a different nom de guerre: the penny bun.

Penny bun, or ceps as the French call them, are a member of the boletus family. It was first classified 1782 by the French botanist Pierre Bulliard. They grow widely across the world and are difficult to cultivate, which is why most people know them as a dry ingredient.

Porcini is most commonly sold dried and is wonderful rehydrated in warm water and added to risotto (which can also be made with barley: don’t tell the Italians I told you).

Dried porcini can also be blended into a powder. I often use it to dust over white fish, such as cod and monkfish. Buy yourself an icing sugar shaker and fill it with porcini powder. Keep in a cool, dry place and it should last you months.

Fresh ceps are harder to come across, but it’s worth seeking them out, whether in the woods or from the many farmer’s markets across the country. Ulrich, one of the many mushroom foragers in Galway, always finds a few for us at Aniar.

Last week we made a wonderful cep purée with sour cream and a little duck stock. The ceps were sliced and fried with onions and garlic until nice and soft and then blended with sour cream. This is a great way to use ceps that are not the most aesthetically beautiful, as often the tops get eaten by bugs.

Finally, raw cep tops are beautiful, especially sliced super thin. Make a salad with Irish baby gem lettuce, hazelnuts and thick-sliced ceps. A hazelnut dressing with a few pickles will round it all off.

• Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

• Get the Food & Drink Club newsletter for the tastiest recipes, reviews and offers

JP McMahon

JP McMahon, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and restaurateurOpens in new windowOpens in new window

Jaffa cakes are 50% sugar, but what’s in the other half?

US-Irish food lands on Crow Steet

Recipe for an easy to make all-in-one chocolate cake

Nectarines with cream and caramel

Fish poached in fennel à la Grecque

Squash and cauliflower stew with chilli, spices and ground nuts

Lamb with almonds and raisins served with rice

Carmel Somers: The simple beauty of tomatoes

Masa: New Dublin Mexican is nearly there with signs of improvement

Top 14 young chefs in Ireland are named

Pierre Bulliard

IN THIS SECTION

Six top chefs and their Christmas plates: A fresh take on potatoes and a Sicilian dessert

Which wines work best with vegetarian Christmas food?

Lost Christmas: From TV guides to sending cards, some traditions fade while others endure

Mark Moriarty’s turkey-free Christmas dinner: Special beef and bacon dishes to serve on the big day

John Wilson picks the best wines for Christmas Day from all the main retailers

MOST READ

Tourists providing five years of social media before entering US is ‘unworkable’, says Taoiseach

Bondi Beach victims named: Holocaust survivor, 10-year-old girl and rabbi among those killed

Director Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in their Los Angeles home

Live updates: Alleged father and son gunmen named; man who tackled attacker remains in hospital

Group takes third legal challenge over planned development of 402 apartments in south Dublin

LATEST STORIES

Bondi Beach shooting updates: Suspected gunmen were known to security services; more victims of attack named

Who are the Bondi Beach shooting suspects, Naveed and Sajid Akram?

Man who stabbed father to death during psychotic episode not guilty by reason of insanity

European Union facing a ‘make-or-break’ moment on Ukraine support

Rob Reiner: Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally director had unparalleled run of hit movies

Food & Drink Club

Exclusive competitions and restaurant offers, plus reviews, the latest food and drink news, recipes and lots more

Sign up