Foraging for wild mushrooms in West Berkshire: Porcini – kings of the forest
IF chanterelles are the queen of the woods, then the mighty cep, or porcino, is king of the forest.
This is probably the most sought after wild fungus, apart from the English summer truffle, and dried specimens can be found in most large supermarkets.
Before we go any further: this is NOT a formal guide to identification.
Get yourself a good guide book or, better still, befriend an expert.
Meanwhile if in doubt – leave it out.
Porcini grow in old woodland in association with pines and broad-leaved trees.
Note the netting, or 'reticulation', on the stem, as this is a good identifying trait.
Brown birch boletes are sometimes mistaken for porcini by novices and, while edible, they are too tasteless and spongy to be worthwhile.
The orange birch bolete is another matter - while not as tasty as the porcino, it has the most wonderful, nutty texture when young.
Both have stems which are covered in black dots, as if mud spattered.
Porcini, meanwhile, can grow to really impressive size and mushroom hunters love to post 'trophy' photos of giant specimens.
It's easy to see how, when you come across these, the mushroom earned its charming English name of penny bun.
Stem and cap are equally good and, although larger ones are often infested with bugs or become spongey, they can still have their uses.
Look at the pores on the underside - if they are white then the flesh should be firm and the mushroom is good for roasting or frying.
If the pores are yellow or olive green, strip them away (they will have an unpleasant texture when cooked) and scatter them on the forest floor to help spread the spores.
The mushroom can then be liquidised in soups or sliced and dried to concentrate the flavour.
Other boletes, such as the bay bolete, are also popular and have a similar texture, but nothing matches the unique aroma and taste of porcini.
Bay boletes have a tell-tale marker - the lemon yellow pores stain bright blue when scratched:
By the way, if you happen to come across the Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) - a poisonous deleriant, incidentally - then you are looking in the right area for porcini.
The Fly Agaric is known as an 'indicator' mushroom because it thrives in the same areas and conditions as porcini and they can often be found growing side by side:
While larger porcini have their uses – for soups or for drying and powdering, for example – connoisseurs favour the smaller, 'champagne cork' ones.
The Italian name 'porcini' translates as 'little pigs' - and considering young specimens, with their squat cap and bulbous stem, one can see why.
These are firm and nutty and are great thickly sliced and fried in butter or cut in half, seasoned and roasted in a little oil with garlic, parsley or thyme.
They also lend their unique, earthy-sweet flavour to dishes such as beef bourguignon.
Porcini can be preserved in oil but they need careful preparation.
Use only the firmest, young buttons, wiped free from grit - washing wild mushrooms is disastrous because they act like sponges and you will lose some of that unique taste and aroma.
Slice mushrooms in half; add a little sliced garlic or onion; bring a 50/50 blend of white wine vinegar and water to the boil and add mushrooms.
Return to the boil and cook for five minutes.
The acid in the vinegar is essential for food safety.
Cool and drain then place on kitchen roll until dry.
Pack tightly into a mason jar along with bay leaf and pepper corns then pour olive oil to the top and seal.
I would advise against using extra virgin oil because the flavour is too strong.
These can be eaten straight from the jar as hors d'oeuvres or used in creamy pasta dishes; any leftover oil will have a fantastic flavour and can be used in salad dressings.
Small jars make great gifts.
Younger specimens can be frozen but it's best to roast or fry them first.
Alternatively, if you've sliced and dried some, they will keep for years in a sealed jar and can be used to add umami notes to all manner of dishes.
Dehydrators are great for this job, but they not cheap.
If you don't have one, slice mushrooms into quarter-inch thick clices, place on a rack and dry in a very low oven, leaving the door ajar.
When they are cracker-dry, seal them in a jar or ziplock bag.
Dried porcini can also be powdered and sprinkled into a dumpling mixture, where they will add a striking, earthy Bovril note.
However one of the best ways to showcase their flavour is in a particular pasta dish, the recipe for which this writer can claim no credit.
Search BBC Food online for porcini (cep) lasagne.
Layers of porcini alternate with sweet Parma ham and parmesan bechamel.
Just add a crisp, green salad.
The finished version looks something like this (and, of course, yours may look much better!):
Porcini can occasionally be found from mid summer onwards but right now they are particularly abundant.
Make sure you have permission from the land owner.
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) does not allow mushroom foraging.
West Berkshire Council allows foraging for the pot, but not for commerce.
Studies have revealed that even long-term and systematic harvesting reduces neither the future yields of fruit bodies nor the species richness of wild forest fungi.
Keep looking until the first frost, which will spell the end... until next year.
* THIS article was first published in 2021.
