White mushroom belongs to the first category of mushrooms and is a delicacy even in fastidious Europe, where, for example, boletus and aspen mushrooms are not collected, considering them inedible. Porcini mushrooms are harvested, including in an industrial way, so you can buy them fresh, dry or frozen in the store. To preserve the taste and aroma of these forest beauties, they must be cooked correctly.
Useful properties of porcini mushrooms
White mushroom is almost 90% water, but in the remaining "dry residue" it is a continuous benefit. It contains many proteins and essential amino acids that are easily digestible in the human body, carbohydrates and glycogen are present. Porcini mushroom pulp contains the alkaloid hercedine, which is used to treat heart disease, and riboflavin, which is essential for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, healthy nails and hair. Porcini mushrooms have the highest amount of B vitamins, they also contain minerals, phosphates and potassium salts.
Features of cooking porcini mushrooms
This is one of the few types of mushrooms that do not darken on the cut, so the broth from them remains light. If the porcini mushroom is intended for frying, it is not necessary to boil it first. They are harvested in salted and pickled form, frozen fresh, but most often dried. Dried porcini mushrooms are the quintessence of mushroom taste and aroma, the soup from them is richer than fresh cooked ones. How much and how to cook porcini mushrooms depends on whether you are going to cook from fresh or dry mushrooms.
The rich broth, cooked in porcini mushrooms, can be poured into silicone molds, frozen and then stored as a semi-finished product in the freezer.
How to cook porcini mushrooms
Sort fresh porcini mushrooms and cut off the tips of the legs. If there are areas affected by worms, they can be cut off, but it is better to soak the prepared mushrooms in salted cold water for half an hour, after which the worms will run away on their own. Small mushrooms can be cooked by cutting them in half or whole, large ones need to be cut into pieces.
After that, dip the mushrooms in boiling salted water and wait for the moment to boil, because after that, increased foaming will begin, and the foam will need to be constantly removed. The fire after the broth boils should be reduced and the time noted. From the moment of boiling, the mushrooms should be cooked for 35-40 minutes, no more.
The water that the dried porcini mushrooms have been soaked in can also be used to make mushroom sauces and gravies.
In the event that you want to cook dry porcini mushrooms, they should first be soaked in boiling water and left, covered with a lid, for 3-4 hours. After that, they must be poured into boiling water together with the water in which they have soaked. In this case, there will not be a large amount of foam in the pan, so after the water boils again, reduce the heat and cook the mushrooms for 30-35 minutes. Spices, except for salt and bay leaf, are not put into the mushroom broth, so as not to "kill" its natural aroma.
