Substitute for Porcini mushrooms

[oldrustycars]

I saw a past recipe, calls for dried porcini mushrooms. Local grocer doesn't have them, the one drawback to living in a small town. Is there a decent substitute? They have portobello, and regular white shrooms.

 

[jpaulg]

I wouldn't substitute fresh mushrooms for dried mushrooms. If you can get dried shrooms (any description) they'll work a lot better better than freshies.

 

[kadesma]

Get dried wild mushroom, or just about any dried ones. When reconstituted the broth they give off will make your pasta sauce outstanding. Just be sure to strain through some cheese cloth to get any little grains of sand that hide in there.

kadesma

 

[Bigjim68]

Costco has a large (around a gallon) container of mixed dried mushrooms. They are not particularly expensive. If you have a Costco around, they are a good staple to have in the kitchen.

 

[jennyema]

I saw a past recipe, calls for dried porcini mushrooms. Local grocer doesn't have them, the one drawback to living in a small town. Is there a decent substitute? They have portobello, and regular white shrooms.

Porcinis have a very distinctive taste. Don't sub fresh mushrooms. Most mixed dry mushrooms have porcinis in them.

I buy dry porcinis at BJ's warehouse club.

 

[oldrustycars]

I went to a fancy market and found porcinis. They don't exactly give those away, do they? Anyway, how long will dried porcini's keep? They are just in a plastic box, not air tight. They were not refrigerated. Should I do anything special to keep them for maybe a week?

 

[merstar]

I went to a fancy market and found porcinis. They don't exactly give those away, do they? Anyway, how long will dried porcini's keep? They are just in a plastic box, not air tight. They were not refrigerated. Should I do anything special to keep them for maybe a week?

You can freeze them or keep in an airtight container at room temperature - they're last indefinitely.

For the future, this is a great source for porcinis and other dried mushrooms. Top quality at excellent prices:
Home, Pistol River Mushroom Farm, Gold Beach, Oregon. Growing Gourmet Mushrooms on the Oregon Coast

 

[kadesma]

Hi orc
My m-i-l was Italian and mad the best pasta and ravioli sauce i've ever eaten. She always use wild mushroom that the old Italian men and women picked..She sliced and dried them then stored in a large coffee can into which she putdried bay leaves and lots of pepper corns. This she said kept the little beasties at bay.It did too. She never froze them she said the moisture would make them mushy.
kadesma

 

[Tuscan Chef]

No don't freeze the murshroom as you will loose most of it's texture.
Believe or not, when we are out of porcini murshrooms, we use same exact receipe but replace mushroom with egglant, sliced and little toasted to dry it out and give a little flavour, then about 1:1 mixed with portobello fresh mushroom.
Important is too find the correct erbs.
Onether suggestion to keep dried porcini (same as for truffles) is to put them in a jar with rice (not mixed, just 1" of rice on the bottom).

 

[jennyema]

Keeping DRY mushrooms in the freezer is ok. But you probably won't need to.

I brought back some incredible ones from Italy a few years back, and I did keep them in the freezer because they were so stellar.

The ones I buy now are good but not in the same league. They stay in the fridge after opening.

 

[gage]

Except for baking,recipes are quidelines ,use what you can get,can you get dried shitake in the chinese/asian section of your store ? if it is a bag of dried mushrooms in the chinese section it is probably shitake ,soak in warm water and discard the stem. they keep forever in a sealed mason jar.

 

[Claire]

Oh, dear, poor rusty! I can so sympathise. Take the porcinis, slice thin. Put in a skillet with a minimum amount of oil (butter, olive oil, or peanut depending on the type of recipe) , and cook slowly until a little over-cooked. Then put between a few layers of paper towels and press until as dry as possible.

No, serious foodies who have never had this problem, it won't be the same. But you shouldn't give up trying a new recipe, and this will help. Don't use the mushrooms raw, or even lightly sauteed, they'll be too watery.