Porcini mushrooms are the most prized mushrooms in Italian cooking. The start of the season varies depending on the summer – often the first porcini appear around the beginning of September but if the weather has been very hot and dry it will be later. October is the main month and the season ends with the first frost.
The porcini you pick yourself will always be the freshest and most firm. Look for them in wooded areas. A strong smell indicates strong flavour. Use the porcini as soon as you find or buy them, as they deteriorate quickly. Porcini have never been successfully cultivated.
Varieties we use in our recipes include Penny Bun, Bay Boletus, Orange Birch Boletus and Slippery Jack. Porcini stems are as delicious as the caps. Choose porcini with open cups and plump round stems, not soft and spongy. They are equally delicious eaten raw in a salad or cooked.
To clean, wash the stalks, trimming away any earthy bits with a sharp paring knife. Use a damp cloth to brush and clean the top of the caps. Try to keep the spongy underside dry. Trim away any rotten pieces with a knife.
If you have large quantities of good firm porcini, it is well worth slicing and drying them.