Boletus is truly the king among mushrooms. While other fruiting bodies have to be boiled and then fried, the white one requires no preparatory cooking. Moreover, it almost does not decrease in size as a result of heat treatment. Central Russia is especially rich in porcini mushrooms. They are the basis of many dishes of Russian cuisine, and not only that. Due to their unique taste characteristics, boletus mushrooms can be easily prepared for the winter, so that later, during frosts and lack of plant food, you can enjoy the rich aroma and amazing mushroom taste. Therefore, many recipes have two options: with fresh or dried fruit bodies. Regardless of what kind of porcini mushrooms you use in cooking, the result will always be wonderful. Here we will look at how to cook delicious porcini mushrooms and give some basic recipes. And the photographs will help you distinguish boletus from other forest products that are not so tasty... or even inedible.
What does a porcini mushroom look like?
For its nutritional and taste qualities, many people call the white mushroom royal. Yes, in the mushroom hierarchy, only truffle is higher than white. But since you and I are unlikely to go to Perigueux, where the latter is grown, let’s still return to the topic of boletus mushrooms. The porcini mushrooms, photos of which you see in the article, have a dark cap and a white fleshy stem. On average, the diameter of the cap varies from 7 to 30 cm, it is convex, and its surface can be either smooth or slightly wrinkled. The stem of the mushroom is barrel-shaped, massive, thickened at the base. The porcini mushroom is difficult to confuse with any other species, especially the toadstool. However, there are beginners who still manage to do it. The opinion that poisonous mushrooms have a lamellar cap is not a panacea for fly agaric poisoning. There are also very dangerous “doubles”. Quite similar to the satanic boletus mushroom. The leg gives it away - reddish, purple. In boron moss there are also gall mushrooms - also with a spongy base of the cap. But one such mushroom in a basket with porcini mushrooms can hopelessly ruin the entire dish. The unbearable bitterness will not allow you to swallow even a piece. The sponge of the bitter mushroom is somewhat greenish, and the cap is light brown. Harvesting porcini mushrooms is a necessary thing, but it is unacceptable to collect them near highways and in radiation-contaminated areas. If you decide to buy boletus mushrooms, make sure that the crop was harvested recently. Mushrooms should smell pleasantly like forest. If you press on them, they crunch slightly.
Interesting Facts
- Boletuses are considered the most common mushrooms from the porcini family. They got their name due to their special, dense structure.
- The most delicious are young mushrooms. Over time, the leg becomes fresh and tough.
- The boletus has a round, smooth cap. The leg is thickened near the base. The pulp is yellowish or white.
- As a rule, these mushrooms are common in oak, birch and coniferous forests. They grow in dry and sunny places. Boletus mushrooms are harvested in the fall. There are 18 species of these mushrooms in total. Among the most popular are spruce, oak, pine and birch. The earliest are birch boletuses. Their distinctive feature is a light brown cap. The spruce boletus has a similar shade. The pine boletus has a darker cap, while the oak boletus has a grayish cap.
- The boletus season begins at the end of June. However, it is impossible to name the exact timing of fruiting, since it is determined by weather conditions. The next season begins around mid-August. It ends at the beginning of September. This time is considered the best for harvesting.
- It is important to be able to distinguish boletus from the so-called gall fungus. They are similar to each other. If you break the gall mushroom, the flesh will almost immediately turn pinkish. In addition, it is very bitter, so worms do not grow inside.
- 100 g of boletus contains 34 kcal.
- It is best to cook mushrooms on the day of collection. In its raw form, the product can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator.
White benefits
The saying “For a poor man, a mushroom is meat” refers to boletus mushrooms. Their calorie content, however, is quite low - 30 Kcal per 100 grams, but since this product is difficult to digest, it gives the effect of long-term saturation. An excellent solution to replace meat for those who are on a diet. And the benefits of porcini mushrooms are much greater than those of pork. They contain vitamin E, which is responsible for the healing and renewal of body cells, ascorbic acid, which strengthens the immune system, thiamine and riboflavin, which improve vision, increase tone and take care of nerve cells. Boletus mushrooms also contain other useful substances. Thus, nicotinic acid is responsible for redox processes, and folic acid is responsible for the health of the circulatory system. That's why you should prefer porcini mushroom to meat. Boletus dishes are nutritious, tasty and very healthy. So the choice is obvious.
Preliminary manipulations
Recipes indicate how to cook porcini mushrooms, but by default it is believed that the fruiting bodies have already been brought to the stage of heat treatment by a skillful housewife. But no matter what we do with the boletus mushrooms next - dry, salt or fry, they must first be washed and cleaned. Take a basin and fill it with cold water. Dissolve regular salt in it. Throw the contents of the basket into the water and leave for an hour. The salted liquid will force all the worms to leave their shelters in the fruiting bodies and float to the surface, the stuck blades of grass and moss will also fall off, and the dirt will dissolve. Peeling porcini mushrooms is not such a hassle as boletus mushrooms. Scrape the cap a little, and cut off the skin on the stem from old fruiting bodies. If there are dark spots, remove them too. Cut large mushrooms into several pieces, medium ones - in half. Leave the little ones as they are.
Description and characteristics of edible mushroom
The semi-white mushroom is called the yellow mushroom, lemon or semi-white boletus; in common people the name is yellow-bellied.
In Latin it is called Hemiléccinum impólitum, although until recently it was called Boletus impolitus. The changes in the name were caused by mycologists' revision of the Boletaceae family and the allocation of this fruit to the newly created genus Hemileccinum. Also scientific synonyms are: Leccinum impolitum, Tubiporus impolitus, Xerocomus impolitus.
cap grows up to 15 cm in diameter, at first convex, later becoming flat. The skin cannot be removed; it is often smooth, but can also be wrinkled. The surface is matte, and mucus appears when it rains. The color can range from light brown to clayey.
The hymenophore is tubular (this is what the lower part of the cap is called). The color is yellow, the tubes are free, up to 3 cm deep, as they grow older they acquire olive tones, the pores are very small. The spore powder is olive-yellowish.
The pulp is heavy and very dense, the color can be from whitish to lemon, the shade does not change when cut.
The taste is sweetish and pleasant; the aroma is often absent, but may resemble iodoform or carbolic acid.
The leg on the surface has roughness, grows up to 15 cm in height, and reaches 6 cm in diameter, expanding at the bottom. The color varies from top to bottom, from beige to darker, sometimes to reddish. Rarely is it monochromatic. The lower part has a pile and does not have a mesh pattern.
A little history
Elias Magnus Fries first described this mushroom in the 19th century, and the Czech mycologist Josef Shutara, after revising the genus Boletaceae, changed the classification of the fruiting body in 2008.
Storing boletus mushrooms
If you are not going to cook mushroom dishes right now, how long can you keep them raw? If you shake off dirt and dust from the boletus mushrooms and put them in a paper bag, they can safely stand in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for about two days. Only if the mushrooms were picked in the rain, they should be dried a little with the warm oven door open for a few minutes. You can boil the boletus mushrooms, strain them and put them in a plastic bag. They can be kept in the freezer for at least a couple of months. The easiest way to store boletus mushrooms for a long time is to dry them. After cleaning, place them in a colander to drain thoroughly. After this, cut into pieces of the same size and string them on a fishing line or strong thread. Hang the bundle in a warm, dry and well-ventilated area. Fruit bodies should be cut lengthwise, not crosswise. Dried white mushroom differs from other types in that it does not lose its wonderful smell, does not crumble or break.
Evaluation of taste qualities, medicinal properties, benefits and possible harm
The unpleasant odor of the semi-white mushroom disappears after boiling or drying the fruiting bodies. Otherwise, he is a worthy rival to his white brother. It is most pleasant when marinated.
If you regularly eat yellow boletus, the condition of the skin and hair will improve, the nervous system and thyroid function will be normalized, and stress resistance will increase.
These fruits are rich in antioxidants, which help fight cancer, stimulate the immune system, brain and the whole body.
Attention! Mushrooms are not recommended for consumption by children under 7 years of age, pregnant and lactating women, elderly people, as well as during exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.
The danger of collecting yellow boletus lies in the large number of inedible species that can be confused with it. The mushroom also tastes bitter and requires pre-soaking.
How to quickly cook porcini mushrooms for the winter
If you do not have the opportunity to keep the bunch hanging for a long time, for a week or two, there are other methods of drying. You can use an oven, including an electric one. Set the temperature to 50 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the chopped mushrooms in an even layer. Do not close the oven door! After six to seven hours, the boletus mushrooms can be placed in a dry, tightly sealed glass container. Another quick method is to use a microwave oven. Set the power to 150 W and the timer to twenty minutes. Then remove the plate with mushrooms and ventilate the microwave for some time. Then repeat the same manipulations 2-3 times until the mushrooms become hard.
False doubles
The semi-white mushroom is not recommended for novice lovers of quiet hunting; it is difficult to distinguish it from inedible species.
| Name | Stipe, cap and hymenophore | Place and time of fruiting | Danger |
| Semi-white mushroom | The stalk widens downward, the lemon color predominates on all parts of the mushroom, the hymenophore is especially prominent | Grows in forests and forest-steppes in mycorrhiza with deciduous trees all summer and autumn | Edible |
| Maiden's boletus | The leg is conical, the cap is darker, brown | Grows in southern Europe, prefers deciduous trees, harvested in summer and autumn | Edible |
| Green moss | It is distinguished by a rather thin stem, cylindrical in shape, and turns blue when pressed. | Grows in coniferous and deciduous forests from May to October | Edible |
| Boletus is beautiful | The leg is covered with a white mesh, yellow on top, and the closer to the base, the more red and burgundy. | Prefers acidic soils, grows in coniferous and deciduous forests from July to October | Inedible |
| Boletus root | The surface is dirty gray, very similar to a satanic mushroom, the flesh turns blue when cut, there is an unpleasant odor | Prefers deciduous forests, bears fruit from July to October | Inedible |
The yellowjacket does not have any poisonous similar mushrooms; the danger lies in collecting bitter and tasteless species that are similar to it.
Preparing boletus mushrooms for the winter using the traditional method
There are at least two ways to salt porcini mushrooms: cold and hot. The first one is simpler, but for it you need to choose young, small boletus. We clean them, wash them and dip them whole in boiling water. Bring to a boil twice and place in a sieve. Cool them with cold water and then dry them thoroughly, turning them several times to remove any moisture. Place boletus caps in prepared and well-wiped jars. Sprinkle each row of mushrooms with a layer of salt. Cover with a circle of cardboard and place a stone on top. In a few days the jar will be incomplete. Add fresh boletus mushrooms, sprinkling them with salt. Pour in lukewarm ghee and close the lid. Store in the cellar or in the refrigerator door. Before use, soak for several hours and rinse.
Hot salting method
We clean the boletus mushrooms, wash them, boil them, skimming off the foam, for 20-25 minutes. This method of salting porcini mushrooms is good because you don’t need to soak them for several days. Place the mushrooms on a sieve and dry. Transfer to prepared jars or enamel dishes. Prepare the brine separately. For every 10 kilograms of mushrooms we take 1.2 liters of water and 0.5 kg of salt, as well as one bay leaf. Bring it all to a boil, cool, pour in the boletus mushrooms. We place a clean cloth on the surface, a wooden circle and a heavy stone on it. Store in the cellar or refrigerator.
Marinated porcini mushrooms “City style” - recipe for 1 liter
What could be tastier than crispy, pickled mushrooms on the holiday table? I want to share with you an excellent recipe for pickling boletus mushrooms for the winter. The cooking technology is not complicated, but the result is simply amazing! I recommend!
Products for marinade:
- Liter of water
- Two tablespoons. Sahara
- Two tbsp. lie – Salts
- Black peppercorns – 10 pcs.
- Carnations – 6 pcs.
- Two - three leaves - Lavrushki
- Vinegar 9% – 6 table. lie
Progress:
We sort through and remove debris and dirt
Cut into approximately equal parts
Send to cook for 30 minutes, do not forget to remove the foam
Next, combine all the ingredients prepared for the brine in a metal bowl; except for acetic acid, we will add it after the end of cooking so that the vinegar does not evaporate. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until the marinade bubbles slightly
Add the mushroom mixture to the marinade and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add vinegar
We fill the jars. Cover with lids without twisting. We set it to sterilize. In any way convenient for you. We will sterilize using an air fryer. Place the jars in the air fryer, close the lid and leave for 15 minutes. Remove with a towel or other hand rag, screw on the lid tightly, and turn upside down. Leave at room temperature until completely cooled. Bon appetit!
Marinated boletus
There are many ways to prepare porcini mushrooms for the winter. One of them is pickling. Delicious glazed mushrooms can be either an independent snack or an ingredient for winter salads. To do this, we clean, wash and coarsely chop 2 kilos of fresh boletus mushrooms. Fill with cold water (0.5 liters), add 10 bay leaves and cook over low heat for about half an hour. Place a colander on another pan and separate the mushrooms from the broth. In the liquid we put 4 soup spoons of salt and 2 sugar, as well as a pinch of spices: black pepper (ground or peas), cloves. Bring the broth to a boil, then pour in 120 ml of 6% vinegar and return the mushrooms to the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes, skimming off any foam that has formed. Scald the jars with boiling water. Cut a large onion into rings and place it on the bottom of a glass container. Evenly place the mushrooms and marinade there and immediately roll up the lids. Such porcini mushrooms should be stored in the refrigerator for the winter.
Salt boletus mushrooms with caps and legs - only for young mushrooms
If you managed to pick young boletus mushrooms, then in this case you can salt them in a slightly different way. But even according to this recipe, the mushrooms turn out to be extremely tasty and incredibly appetizing.
What you will need:
- Boletus mushrooms - 10 liter bucket.
- Coarse salt - 2 full glasses.
In this recipe we will use young mushrooms, so there is no need to separate the caps from the stems.
How to cook
Sort the mushrooms, wash them, cut off all damaged parts, remove rotten and wormy parts.
Place the prepared mushrooms in boiling water and stirring continuously until the liquid boils. Cook for no more than 10 minutes and place in a colander to allow water to flow. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb all the water.
Now we place the first layer on the bottom of a jar or other container for pickling, so that the caps look down. Sprinkle with salt. We lay out the second layer and also fall asleep. We carry out the procedure until the container is full or the boletus mushrooms run out.
As soon as the container is filled, we put pressure on it. For this purpose, it is better to use a large, wide pan for salting. After 3 days, put the prepared and well-salted mushrooms into jars and fill them with the salt solution in which the salting took place.
Cover with nylon lids and store only in the refrigerator.
Bouillon
Many housewives believe that in order to avoid food poisoning, all mushrooms should be boiled. The method below will help you prepare a fragrant clear broth - the basis for the soup. But how to cook porcini mushrooms without losing their characteristic aroma? Pour washed and coarsely chopped boletus mushrooms with cold water and let stand for half an hour. Then put the pan on the fire. As soon as it boils, reduce the flame and cook for thirty to forty minutes, skimming the foam from time to time. In a steamer, porcini mushrooms will be ready in 40 minutes. The same time will be required if we use a multicooker. It needs to be set to “Baking” mode. Well, what about dried mushrooms? We remove them from the thread and soak them in a small amount of cold water for 3-4 hours. After this, pour this infusion into the pan and cook for about 20 minutes.
Recommendations
From the presented methods, choose the most suitable one and decide how long to cook boletus mushrooms in your case. Only after this do you start preparing the product. It is worth saying that during cooking it is better to salt the water a little. This will make your dish tastier and the vegetables will cook faster. However, do not overdo it with spices. Mushrooms have a delicate taste and pleasant aroma that can overpower the abundance of seasonings.
In any case, how long to cook boletus mushrooms depends on their size and the intended dish. Cook with pleasure - and then your culinary skills will amaze your guests and family.
Boletus cream soup
Even if you plan to use boiled mushrooms to prepare a second dish, do not drain the liquid. You can add potatoes, carrots, parsley, celery root to this broth and please your family with a delicious and aromatic mushroom soup. And for the second course, serve buckwheat porridge or rice with boletus mushrooms. And here we will tell you how to prepare French cream of porcini mushroom soup. To do this, finely chop 2 onions and fry until golden in vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Add to them 0.5 kg of fresh chopped boletus mushrooms. Fry for about 7 minutes, then pour in a glass of cream with 20% fat content. Add 2 large potatoes, cut into cubes. We wait another 20 minutes (over low heat), stirring slightly so that the cream does not “run away.” Pour into a saucepan and blend with a blender until smooth. Season with spices, herbs and serve.
Boletus sauce
If, as a result of a forest hunt, you have quite a few porcini mushrooms in your basket, you can make a sauce from the trophy. Just three or four boletus are enough to make buckwheat porridge, mashed potatoes or boiled rice fragrant and tasty. As the main ingredient for the sauce, you can also use dried porcini mushroom - one handful, only in this case you need to first soak the product in cold water for two hours. Boil finely chopped boletus mushrooms in a small amount of water for about 40-50 minutes. We strain, but save the broth. Finely chop the onion, fry in butter, add mushrooms and fry for about a quarter of an hour. In small portions (stir constantly to avoid lumps), add 3 tablespoons of flour. Add enough broth to the pan to make a thick sauce. Separately mix chopped dill, salt and spices to taste with 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream. Pour this into the main sauce, stir, and heat thoroughly.
Boletus julienne
How to cook porcini mushrooms as a hot appetizer? If you have beautiful cocotte makers in your house, serve julienne to your guests. To do this, simmer 0.5 kg of peeled and coarsely chopped boletus mushrooms in butter for about 10 minutes. Using a spoon, collect the released mushroom juice into a cup, and add half rings of a large onion and another spoon or two of butter to the frying pan. After a quarter of an hour, prepare the following mixture in a separate bowl: shake 1 glass of sour cream with a tablespoon of flour, mushroom juice, salt and spices. Pour this creamy sauce into the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Rub the inside of the cocotte makers with garlic, fill them with julienne, sprinkle the surface with grated Parmesan and place in an oven preheated to 200⁰ for a quarter of an hour.
Buckwheat with boletus
If you are wondering how to cook porcini mushrooms in the traditional Russian way, then there is nothing easier than cooking the most aromatic porridge. In a very deep frying pan in two tablespoons of vegetable oil, fry a finely chopped onion, 100 grams of bacon and diced carrots. When it all turns golden, add 200 g of porcini mushrooms. Fry for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and spices, add a glass of buckwheat and two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. Stir and pour in three glasses of hot broth (or boiling water). When the liquid boils, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the porridge for half an hour until the water boils away. After this, add 2 large tablespoons of butter, mix and let stand warm for another 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.
