When life gives you porcinis

I never liked mushrooms until I started eating other varieties besides white buttons (and cooking them in lots of butter).  So my mushroom fascination is relatively new, but I’m entranced by them now, and I’m very excited about the mushroom vendor who frequents the winter season of our farmer’s market.  Yesterday, they had fresh porcinis, which I’ve heard lots about but never tasted fresh.

Fresh porcini mushrooms (WikiMedia)

Some things are worth spending silly amounts of money on, and porcinis are one of them.  Their flavor was rich, dark, and earthy; they tasted more mushroomy than any mushrooms I’ve had.  There’s a reason why they’re considered gourmet.  You’ll more often see them dried, and adding just a few dried porcinis can light up a dish.  Still, the fresh ones are something else.

I think a lot of home cooks, especially new or timid cooks, avoid buying nice or expensive ingredients for fear of ruining them in the cooking.  If you have something special to work with, you want to do it justice.  My usual method of becoming familiar with new ingredients is to saute them with olive oil and butter, but in this case, I wanted something a little more substantial.  So, I went to the books.  I found a recipe in “Moosewood Cooks at Home” for Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms and Cheese, which I made once before with ordinary mushrooms, and seemed perfect for my porcinis.  (The recipe called for dried porcinis – I substituted my fresh ones.)  In fact, the mushrooms stole the show.  This is a real treat and feels appropriately fancy, though the preparation is fairly simple.

Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms and Cheese (from Moosewood Cooks at Home)

• Cook polenta (1 cup coarse cornmeal, 3 cups boiling water) over low heat until thick – stir so it does not burn.
• Saute some garlic and a couple cups of chopped mushrooms (I supplemented the porcinis with some button mushrooms) in olive oil until they are a little soft and the oil is absorbed.  Add about a tablespoon of wine, some salt, and herbs if desired, and cook another minute or two.
• Spread the polenta in an oiled baking dish.  Top with the mushrooms, then some grated cheese (we used feta; the original calls for mozarella and cheddar) and broil until the cheese browns.  Serve hot!