When a mushroom picker comes to the forest, he rejoices at every edible mushroom that comes his way. And as the famous Russian scientist and philosopher Konstantin Tsiolkovsky said: “Beware of the grief of an empty basket!” That is why each mushroom is valuable in its own way for a mushroom picker. And the most desired trophy on a “quiet hunt” is the boletus. Most often it can be found in mixed and coniferous forests from mid-July to October. Why is he so in demand? First of all, boletus is valued in cooking for its unsurpassed taste and pronounced mushroom aroma. It enhances almost any dish. It is impossible not to note the benefits and nutritional properties of porcini mushrooms. They are also easy to process and remain equally tasty whether dried, frozen or salted. As for the process of pickling porcini mushrooms, it cannot be called very simple. It is painstaking, requires a responsible approach, but at the same time quite exciting. In this article we will share different recipes for salted porcini mushrooms - with ginger, horseradish and onions, with the addition of oil - and talk about traditional methods of salting them.
Salted porcini mushrooms in their own juice
This method of pickling porcini mushrooms is considered basic, because the recipe contains only two ingredients. You can safely refuse seasonings so that boletus mushrooms retain their natural taste and aroma as much as possible. Mushrooms salted in their own juice will turn out tender, appetizing and tasty. Even inexperienced housewives can cope with the task.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms – 3 kg
- table salt - 150–180 g
Cooking method:
- Sort out fresh boletus mushrooms and rinse under running water. Act quickly: mushrooms have a sponge-like structure, which means they can absorb a lot of moisture. Dry the mushrooms by spreading them out on paper towels.
- Cut large mushrooms into several parts - this will ensure even pickling. Then pour the gifts of the forest into a deep container. Add all the salt at once. Mix gently with your hands. When working with mushrooms, we recommend using gloves.
- Place a clean board or cutting board on top of the mushrooms and place a heavy weight on top. Our grandmothers often used cast iron or steel irons for these purposes. You can use a regular three-liter jar of water or a stone. Place the workpiece in a dark, cool place for 40–45 days. The best place for storage is on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in the basement.
- After a few days, check the mushrooms and make sure they are immersed in juice - this is a very important point that cannot be neglected. If there is no juice, increase the weight of the oppression. And when it’s time to serve the porcini mushrooms, first place them in cool water for 20–30 minutes to remove excess salt.
By salting boletus mushrooms according to this recipe, you will get an appetizer that you can proudly treat your loved ones and friends with. And such mushrooms are worthy of becoming part of a complex dish. Put them in a salad or solyanka, use them when stewing cabbage or vegetable stew. After pickling, it is not recommended to store porcini mushrooms for more than six months, even in the refrigerator. As for boletus mushrooms that were stored in jars for the winter, they can stand in a dark and cool place for up to one year, provided that the container has not been opened.
Preparing for salting
Collected mushrooms must be immediately cleaned and sorted. With white ones, you can get by with dry cleaning: scraping or cutting off dirt with a knife and shaking off sand and plant debris with a soft brush or sponge. Only the smallest young mushrooms are salted whole; larger ones must be cut into pieces of approximately the same size. When cut into the pulp, holes are often found, indicating the presence of worms. Heavily “broken” mushrooms need to be radically trimmed or simply thrown away, and in case of minor damage, it is advised to soak them briefly (15-20 minutes) in cold salted water so that all the parasites float to the surface.
When briefly soaked in salted water, the mushrooms are cleaned of parasites, sand and small plant debris.
After soaking, the mushrooms are placed in a colander and washed several times under running water or doused with boiling water.
Helpful advice: do not throw away the water in which you soaked and cleaned the mushrooms. It contains a large amount of auxins - hormones that stimulate the rapid growth of mushrooms. It is recommended to use this water for watering household or garden plants.
Whites do not need any additional processing, but some housewives consider it necessary to boil them for 20-25 minutes before salting. It is customary to salt porcini mushrooms at home using traditional methods - cold and hot. Each of them has its own advantages and technological features, which we propose to consider in step-by-step recipes.
Healthy snack: salted boletus mushrooms with horseradish and onions
Many people consider horseradish a weed, but in vain, this perennial plant is very useful. It has been proven that horseradish contains more vitamin C than lemon. No wonder horseradish was so loved and respected in Rus'. It was added not only to cabbage soup and pies. They even served sturgeon with horseradish. To this day, many housewives prepare vigorous, fiery, invigorating snacks with the roots and leaves of this amazing plant. Horseradish is often added to preparations; its taste clearly manifests itself in marinades; the main thing is to maintain a balance. Try pickling boletus mushrooms with horseradish and onions according to the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms - 2.5 kg
- water - 1 l
- horseradish leaves - 5–6 pcs.
- small horseradish root - 2 pcs.
- onion - 150 g
- table salt - 100 g
- dill - 4 sprigs
- currant leaves - to taste
- garlic - 6 cloves
Cooking method:
- As in previous recipes, mushrooms must be carefully prepared for the pickling process: peeled, rinsed well, chopped if necessary. Then the boletus mushrooms are boiled. To do this, lightly salt and boil water, add mushrooms.
- Wait until it boils on high heat. Then reduce the heat and cook for another 10-12 minutes. At the end of this process, drain the liquid and weigh the mushrooms. It should be about 2 kg.
- While the mushrooms are cooling, prepare a container for pickling. Give preference to a small saucepan or container made of high-quality food-grade plastic. Place washed horseradish leaves, chopped onions, several sprigs of dill and fresh currant leaves on the bottom.
- Rinse the horseradish root well in running water and cut into pieces. Also place a few pieces on the bottom of the dishes intended for pickling. Now place the mushrooms and chopped garlic layer by layer, immediately add salt according to the following proportion: for 1 kg of boiled boletus - 50 g of salt.
- When all the mushrooms are laid (don't forget to salt the last layer), cover them with horseradish leaves and add 2 sprigs of dill. Cover the workpiece with clean gauze, place a flat plate or cutting board, and put pressure on top.
You can pickle porcini mushrooms according to this recipe 15 days in advance. If you want to keep the snack for a long time, then follow these steps. Take clean jars and sterilize them as usual. Remove all the greens and horseradish roots from the pickled mushrooms - they have already given up all their flavors to the brine. Place a fresh horseradish leaf and a piece of its root at the bottom of each jar. Fill the container two-thirds full with mushrooms. Pour chilled brine prepared at the rate of 30–35 g of salt and 10 ml of table vinegar 9% per 1 liter of boiled water. Close the jars with lids and store in a cool, dark place.
How to simply pickle boletus mushrooms for the winter: hot method
Most often, it is customary to pickle mushrooms for the winter. This harvesting method has proven itself well for a long time. It is based on the action of acids, which help forest products to be stored for months without any signs of spoilage. However, you can save not only pickled boletus until the onset of cold weather, but also salted ones. Thanks to heat treatment, salt and vegetable oil, their shelf life increases. Prepare this appetizer for your festive New Year's table. We remind you that the pickling of porcini mushrooms in this case is carried out in sterilized jars.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms – 5 kg
- vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l. in every container
- table salt - 230–250 g
- water - 2.5 liters
- cloves - to taste
Cooking method:
- Sort out fresh summer or autumn boletus mushrooms, cut large ones into pieces, and leave small ones whole. The miniature mushrooms crunch deliciously and look so beautiful!
- Boil water, salt it a little. Place porcini mushrooms in boiling water. Boil them for half an hour. In this case, the boiling process should not stop.
- Drain off the excess liquid and cool the boletus mushrooms.
- Take a clean container that you usually use for pickling. Place boiled porcini mushrooms in it in layers. Sprinkle each layer with salt.
- Cover the boletus mushrooms laid in layers with a clean cloth, install a pressure, the weight of which should not exceed 1 kg. Soak the mushrooms for 2 days.
- Place the boletus mushrooms in sterilized jars. They should not be packed too tightly, and the container should be filled with mushrooms about two-thirds. Fill each jar with the brine in which the mushrooms were pickled.
- Before closing the preparations with boiled lids, pour 3–3.5 tbsp over the mushrooms. l. vegetable oil. It will prevent the formation of mold.
Choose a cool place for storage, out of direct sunlight.
Features of storing workpieces
The best temperature conditions for keeping salted mushrooms will be from +2°C to +5°C. The basement should be well ventilated. You can keep the salting in winter on an insulated balcony, but at the above temperature.
Salted boletus mushrooms are a nutritious and at the same time low-calorie product. Fermentation makes mushroom fruits softer and easier to digest. Housewives like salting for the variety of methods and preservation of the beneficial qualities of products.
Recipe for pickling porcini mushrooms with ginger root
If you are bored with traditional recipes for pickling porcini mushrooms, try experimenting a little. Instead of the usual spices, add hot ginger root to the preparation. Its spicy spiciness will give the mushroom appetizer new shades of taste. In addition, ginger is very useful, as it contains essential oils and vitamins that are important for the body.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms - 3.2 kg
- ginger root - 100–120 g
- table salt - 145–155 g
- dill umbrellas - to taste
- bay leaf - 4 pcs.
- garlic - 1 head
- water for soaking mushrooms - 1.5 l
Cooking method:
- As soon as you bring (or buy) mushrooms from the forest, immediately start processing them. Remove leaves and other debris, cut off darkened areas, check for worms. Cut large boletus mushrooms into pieces.
- Pour cool water into a basin or any other deep container. Put 2 tbsp in it. l. table salt and mushrooms. You can also add one dill umbrella here. Leave to soak for 24 hours.
- The next day, peel a large head of garlic and cut the cloves into slices. Chop fresh ginger with a knife or a fine grater.
- Cover the bottom of a clean enamel pan with a thin layer of chopped ginger mixed with garlic. Next, place some of the mushrooms in a container, salt them, and add a bay leaf.
- Continue adding ingredients in the same order until they are all gone. Tamp the mushrooms well, cover them with a thick, clean cloth, and place pressure on top.
For 30–40 days, porcini mushrooms should be kept in a dark place. Before serving the savory snack, you can sprinkle it with chopped walnuts and season with sesame oil. It will turn out very unusual.
Basic recommendations
Whatever recipe for pickling boletus mushrooms for the winter you choose, first of all you need to prepare everything you need
Particular attention is paid to the containers in which the mushrooms will be stored. It must be clean
There should be no cracks or chips on it.
During pickling, make sure that the mushrooms are in the brine at all times. Without it, they will deteriorate very quickly. If mold begins to appear on the surface of the brine, remove it immediately with a clean spoon.
The finished dish should be stored at a temperature no higher than 5 degrees. But mushrooms shouldn’t freeze either. Otherwise, they will lose all their taste and beneficial properties.
Fragrant salted boletus mushrooms with garlic and butter
This recipe contains vegetable oil; it will make the consistency of the snack more delicate and help the treasured jar of salted mushrooms last longer. By the way, the garlic and mushroom aroma stimulates the appetite, which will ensure the appetizer you prepare is a great success.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms - 1.5 kg
- salt - 80–100 g
- sunflower oil – 150–200 ml
- black pepper - 7 peas
- allspice - to taste
- garlic - 5 cloves
- water - 1 l
- bay leaf - to taste
- dried dill seeds - 1 tsp.
Cooking method:
- Prepare the mushrooms as usual, then boil water, add 3 pinches of salt and boletus mushrooms. Boil them for 12–15 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms.
- Drain the excess liquid from the boiled mushrooms; it will no longer be needed. Cool the mushrooms. Peel the garlic cloves and cut into small pieces or slices.
- Sprinkle the bottom of a clean, dry pan with a little salt. Place the first layer of boletus mushrooms on it, add garlic and sprinkle with pepper. Next, proceed to the second layer. Distribute the ingredients evenly so that there is enough garlic, salt and seasonings for the entire volume of mushrooms.
- Cover the workpiece with gauze or a kitchen towel and apply pressure. Find a cool place where the temperature does not rise above +15°C, leave the mushrooms there for two days.
- At the end of this period, place the boletus mushrooms in small jars, which we recommend sterilizing first. Add dill seeds and allspice to each to taste. Fill everything with vegetable oil. Place the snack in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours.
Preparing porcini mushrooms in this way is very convenient, especially before a feast, because it only takes three days for them to be properly salted. Bon appetit!
In the footsteps of wise ancestors: pickle porcini mushrooms in a wooden barrel
Making preparations in natural wood barrels is a long-standing tradition. Our ancestors soaked apples in such containers, fermented cabbage, aged beer and mead, and salted cucumbers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Thanks to special preservatives and tannins in the wood, the products were perfectly stored and became even more aromatic and tastier. It is believed that a barrel made of oak, aspen or linden is best suited for preparations. But whatever container you choose, you need to prepare it first. To do this, fill a wooden container with water and leave it for a day. The next day, drain the infused liquid and add fresh liquid instead. Repeat this manipulation for a week. Immediately before adding porcini mushrooms, pour boiling water over the inside of the barrel 5 times. Few people nowadays harvest mushrooms in such significant quantities, and the fashion for homemade pickles is no longer so great. But if suddenly you are lucky enough to collect a large number of porcini mushrooms, then we suggest pickling them in a barrel according to this recipe.
Ingredients:
- porcini mushrooms – 9–11 kg
- cherry leaves - 35 pcs.
- allspice peas - to taste
- oak leaves - 35 pcs.
- garlic - 6-7 heads
- horseradish leaves - 15 pcs.
- dill umbrellas - 7–10 pcs.
- table salt - 400–450 g
Cooking method:
- Cover the bottom of a wooden barrel in one layer with washed cherry and oak leaves. Sprinkle them with a handful of salt. To make the greens more fragrant, the leaves can first be dipped in boiling water for 2-3 seconds.
- Divide the garlic into cloves and cut them into thin slices.
- Clean the boletus mushrooms from dirt and rinse in lightly salted water. Place them on the leaves, caps down. As soon as you complete the first layer, salt the mushrooms, season with a portion of garlic, and add an umbrella of dill.
- Layer the ingredients in this way, layer by layer. Once all the leaves, mushrooms and spices are in the barrel, cover them with a clean, thick cloth and a large cutting board or special wooden disk. Put down the oppression.
- Leave the boletus mushrooms to pickle for a month. The place where the barrel stands should be cool and dark. And be sure to ensure that the juice secreted by the mushrooms is always above the level of the mushrooms.
- After 30 days, the crispy mushrooms will be ready.
Some subtleties
It is important to choose a place where the temperature will be ideal for canning. Experts recommend not exceeding +8 degrees, otherwise the product may turn sour or moldy. But you also need to take it out onto the balcony with caution. If the temperature drops below 0, then salting proceeds much slower. In addition, if the mushrooms freeze, they will turn black and become completely tasteless. Therefore, a temperature from 0 to + 4 degrees is optimal for pickling. Please note that the brine should completely cover the mushrooms.
Sometimes it happens that the liquid leaks out for some reason. We need to add it urgently. To do this, take a 10% salt solution using boiled water and pour over the mushrooms. If mold appears, use a clean cloth soaked in a vinegar solution to wipe the walls of the container and remove it. Most often this happens if the tub is not filled. This can be easily fixed by going into the forest again and collecting new mushrooms. Remove the top pressure and fragrant leaves, place the prepared fruiting bodies and return everything to its place.
Solyanka with salted mushrooms
Salted mushrooms are usually served as an independent snack. They are poured with aromatic sunflower oil, onions and herbs are added. This is delicious! But we recommend preparing hot hodgepodge, which will warm you up on a cold cloudy day. This is a Slavic dish with a long history. Usually a thick, rich, aromatic stew is prepared in meat or fish broth with the addition of a large amount of fresh vegetables and pickles. Thanks to this, the hodgepodge turns out to be very satisfying. There is no strict recipe for making this soup. Each housewife herself determines what she prefers to cook it with. Often smoked meats, canned peas and even seafood are used. We recommend preparing hodgepodge with salted white mushrooms. To make the stew as appetizing as in the photo, follow the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- fresh porcini mushrooms – 700–800 g
- garlic - 5 cloves
- lemon juice - 10 ml
- potatoes - 4–5 pcs.
- green olives - 8–10 pcs.
- onion - 250 g
- black olives - 8–10 pcs.
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.
- paprika – 5–10 g
- salted white mushrooms - 200 g
- black pepper - 3-4 peas
- carrots - 1 pc.
- vegetable oil - 20 ml
- salt - to taste
- dill - 6 sprigs
- parsley - 6 sprigs
- pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.
- water - 8 glasses
Cooking method:
- Peel and wash carrots and potatoes, garlic and onions in cold water. Next, grate the carrots on a coarse grater, cut the onions into small cubes, pickled cucumbers into cubes or strips, garlic into thin slices, and simply cut the olives into two parts.
- Salt the water to your taste and bring to a boil. Peel the potatoes, cut into medium-sized pieces and place in a saucepan with water.
- Spray the heated frying pan with oil. Add vegetables (except cucumbers and olives) and fresh mushrooms. Fry everything until done. Don't forget to add salt and season with spices. 5-6 minutes before turning off the heat, add pickled cucumbers and pickled mushrooms. Stir.
- Transfer the prepared mixture of mushrooms and vegetables to the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, put the olives and bay leaves in the pan, pour in the lemon juice. Cook for another 3 minutes. After turning off the stove, let the hodgepodge brew for another half hour. Serve the stew with fresh sprigs of dill and parsley - they will enrich the taste and decorate the dish.