Soak your Porcini Mushrooms in warm water for about 30 minutes before using in your recipes. Dried mushrooms rehydrate at about an 8:1 ratio.

Linguine with Prawns and Porcini
Risotto with Porcini
Porcini Sauce
Mushroom Pasta
Gnocchi with Porcini Sauce
Chicken Scaloppini with Porcini Rosemary Sauce
Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce

Linguine with Prawns and Porcini: top

Linguine with Prawns and Porcini

Elegant and wonderful!

1 12 oz. Linguine
8 oz. dried Porcini Mushrooms, Reconstituted
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 Ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
9 1/2 oz. Prawns (large shrimp), shelled & deveined
3 T dry white wine
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Reconstitute Porcini mushrooms per package directions, drain off excess water and slice. Heat half the olive oil and sauté garlic until golden brown. Discard browned garlic. Add the sliced Porcini. Cook gently for about ten minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Add the chopped tomatoes. In another pan heat the remaining oil and quickly toss in the prawns. Season. Sauté prawns for one minute, then add the wine. Over high heat allow wine to evaporate. Add Porcini mixture. Reduce heat. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and incorporate the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve at once.

Risotto with Porcini: top

Risotto with Porcini
in the pressure cooker

1 package dried porcini mushrooms (1/2oz)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 - 2½ cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks
1-2 cloves finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Soak the porcini in boiling water for 10 minutes. Lift out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the soaking water, and then add enough of the vegetable stock to make 3 1/2 cups liquid. Coarsely chop the mushrooms. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and sauté the leeks and garlic 1-2 minutes. Add oregano, rice, porcini, stock mixture, and salt. Lock lid in place, and over high heat bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat with a quick-release method. Remove the lid. Stir in the parsley and cheese. Serve immediately in shallow soup bowls. (If, by any chance, the rice is not tender and creamy when you remove the lid, stir in a bit more stock and cook over medium heat, not under pressure, until rice is tender. Then add the parsley and cheese and serve.)

Porcini Sauce: top

Porcini Sauce

1oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sliced green onions
2 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
the strained soaking liquid
cream to make 1 full cup of liquid
1 tablespoon sherry, if desired

Soak the mushrooms in water for at least 30 minutes. Slice them, reserving the liquid. In bowl, combine butter, garlic, and green onions. Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper and then the strained soaking liquid and cream. Microwave on high 1 minute. Whisk well. Microwave another 1 minute's or until thickened nicely, adding additional cream or milk if necessary. Add sliced mushrooms and sherry. Taste and correct seasonings, and serve with pasta or with chicken or...

Mushroom Pasta: top

Mushroom Pasta

" Tagliatelle pasta topped with a fragrant, colorful porcini mushroom sauce which includes carrot, red bell pepper, red wine and herbs. This recipe is from The WEBB Cooks, articles and recipes by Robyn Webb, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association. Preparation time: 10 minutes. "

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup rehydrated porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups cooked egg noodles

Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and sauté for 4 minutes, then add red bell pepper and carrots and sauté for 4 more minutes. Add red wine, raise heat and boil for 1 minute; then reduce heat to medium low, add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve sauce over cooked noodles.

Serves 6

Gnocchi with Porcini Sauce: top

Gnocchi with Porcini Sauce

Yield: 6 servings

6 lg Baking potato
3 tb Kosher salt
2 Egg
2 tb Butter
2 1/2 c All purpose flour
Grated Parmesan cheese
9 qt Water

(See also: Tomato-Porcini Sauce.) Bake potatoes until tender. While hot, cut in half and scoop out pulp. Work pulp through ricer into large bowl (or mash using up-and-down motion only). Using fork, stir in eggs. Blend in 1/2 cup flour. Turn dough out onto work surface. Gradually knead in 2 cups flour. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough into 6x4-inch loaf. Cut loaf into 1-inch strips. Roll strips into cylinders 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut cylinders into 1 1/4-inch pieces. Boil 1 piece 2 to 3 minutes. If piece falls apart, add more flour to dough 1/4 cup at a time until pieces hold together when boiled. Using floured fork, press tines downward into each piece so it curls around fork. Arrange in single layer without touching on generously floured towel. Let gnocchi stand 3 to 4 hours at room temperature to dry.

Bring water and salt to boil. Add gnocchi. Stir gently with wooden spoon. When gnocchi come to surface let cook 2 minutes. Drain well. Place on platter. Spoon Tomato-Porcini Sauce over. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Chicken Scaloppini with Porcini Rosemary Sauce: top

Chicken Scaloppini with Porcini Rosemary Sauce

Serves 4

4 (6- to 8-ounce) (175- to 225-g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon porcini mushroom powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Chicken Stock

Remove the chicken tenderloin, the thin, tapering piece of meat on the lower edge of the breast, from each breast half and freeze for another use. Slice each chicken breast into 3 pieces, across the grain. Pound the slices lightly between plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4 inch (6 mm). Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and flour and set aside.

Pour the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter into a large sauté pan and cook over high heat until the oil starts to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the prepared chicken scallops and cook 1 minute on each side until lightly brown. You may need to brown in 2 batches depending on the size of the pan. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Pour off any excess oil.

Return the pan to high heat and stir in the porcini powder, rosemary and pine nuts, if you wish. The pan will start to smoke quickly. Immediately pour in the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Return the reserved chicken to the pan and reheat it in the sauce for 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Add the remaining butter to the sauce, turn off the heat, and mix well. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken and serve.

Cook's Tip
Porcini, like any dried mushroom, need to be soaked before using. Use one cup of hot water or chicken stock for each 1/2 ounce (15 g) of dried porcini and soak for 1/2 hour. Remove them from the liquid, reserving the liquid, and squeeze dry.
Strain the soaking liquid through a paper towel or coffee filter and use it to flavor sauces and soups. If you're not going to use the liquid right away, freeze and use later.

Porcini Mushroom Powder

Grind 1/4- to 1/2-ounce (7- to 15-g) dried porcini mushrooms in a small processor or coffee mill to a powder consistency. Don't make large quantities of porcini powder at one time because the flavor can become unpleasantly strong when the powder is exposed to air for long periods.

As a substitute for the porcini mushroom powder, use dried shiitake mushroom powder or 1/2 of a beef bouillon cube, crumbled. The flavor of the sauce will be different with the bouillon cube, but still very tasty.

Menu Suggestion:

Asparagus Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Chicken Scallopine with Porcini
Rosemary Sauce
Green Beans with Almonds
Bread
Oranges with White Chocolate and Mint

Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce: top

Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce

Fettuccine con funghi porcini
Umbria

Serves 4 - 6

1 - 2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, soaked, drained and shredded
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 t fresh thyme, chopped fine
salt & freshly ground black pepper.
1 lb fettucine or tagliatelle
6 quarts water

Soak the dry porcini mushrooms in 1/4-cup hot water for about 1/2 an hour.
Remove, rinse quickly and briefly under cold running water to remove any soil that might still be on mushroom.
Strain the water in which you have soaked the porcini through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or with a dampened paper towel. Save the liquid.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and then the thyme. Sauté till garlic turns a light gold in color. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, strained mushroom water, salt and freshly ground pepper.
Simmer for 20 minutes till sauce thickens.
Cook the pasta.
When done, drain well and place into warm serving bowl. Pour the hot sauce over the pasta, toss well and serve immediately.
No cheese with this dish.

Note: Makes an even tastier sauce with fresh, ripe tomatoes