- 111
- 10
- Joined Jan 12, 2001
ok folks....
i've just returned to bologna after spending a few days in florence. and i've got a big sack of fresh porcini mushrooms that i picked up.
the markets were just about bustin' with them, and they were as low as £10,000/kilo. (this is about $5 for 2 pounds of fresh porcini (!)) yes....that was my reaction too.
by the way...florence is THE town in italy for food shopping. skip the touristy gourmet shops and head to the mercato centrale, where the florentines shop. fresh huge morels were as low as $7.50/kilo and i bought a liter of cloudy, bright green xtra virgin o.o. for 5 bucks.
so....help me out here...i'm kind of ashamed to admit i've never worked with fresh porcini before.
what's the best way to clean them? soak in water and then dry? or just wipe down with a damp towel?
then what? the guy who sold them to me told me to just simply sautee them with garlic, olive oil, salt, and a little tomato, then use them to sauce a fresh pasta. but i'd like to really feature the porcini and not use them on pasta.
is it best to start them in a dry pan and heat the water out of them first, before sauteeing? is it better to quick-cook them or go through the whole process of sauteeing, drawing out the water, cooking it away, and then sauteeing again?
any ideas or help would be appreciated.
i've just returned to bologna after spending a few days in florence. and i've got a big sack of fresh porcini mushrooms that i picked up.
the markets were just about bustin' with them, and they were as low as £10,000/kilo. (this is about $5 for 2 pounds of fresh porcini (!)) yes....that was my reaction too.
by the way...florence is THE town in italy for food shopping. skip the touristy gourmet shops and head to the mercato centrale, where the florentines shop. fresh huge morels were as low as $7.50/kilo and i bought a liter of cloudy, bright green xtra virgin o.o. for 5 bucks.
so....help me out here...i'm kind of ashamed to admit i've never worked with fresh porcini before.
what's the best way to clean them? soak in water and then dry? or just wipe down with a damp towel?
then what? the guy who sold them to me told me to just simply sautee them with garlic, olive oil, salt, and a little tomato, then use them to sauce a fresh pasta. but i'd like to really feature the porcini and not use them on pasta.
is it best to start them in a dry pan and heat the water out of them first, before sauteeing? is it better to quick-cook them or go through the whole process of sauteeing, drawing out the water, cooking it away, and then sauteeing again?
any ideas or help would be appreciated.