DRIED BOLETES MUSHROOMS

The most popular of the Boletes mushrooms is the Porcini. Varieties in addition to the Porcini (Boletus edulis ) mushroom are red and yellow bolete, white king bolete, butter bolete, ragger's bolete, and painted slippery cap. However, Porcinis are definitely the most desirable for cooking and eating.

In France Boletes mushrooms are known as Cepe and in Britain called the Penny Bun, the Boletes are among the most common, widespread groups of wild mushrooms, including some of the best-tasting. Boletes have several features that, in combination, make them distinct: They nearly all grow on the ground, near trees, because these fungi form commensual relationships with trees - they provide minerals and water (and sometimes even provide growth hormones) for the trees in exchange for food (the fungus actually interconnects with the tree's microscopic root hairs). Because of this, except for those species associated with evergreens, the mushrooms are most common in the summer in temperate climates when the hardwood trees are active.

Most Boletes are umbrella-shaped, with a cap and stalk, not shelf-like, although there are exceptions with short, off-center stalks - also, these are mushrooms that have tubes, a spongy layer containing tiny pores instead of gills. Virtually all Boletes disseminate their spores through those pores, which are tiny holes on the undersides of their caps. When the mushrooms are very young, you may need a magnifying lens to see the pores. Spores travel down closely-packed, vertical tubes to reach the pores. You can usually peel the layer of tubes that lead to the pores away from the cap of a Bolete. Boletes often appear the day after it rains, are very perishable, especially in the summer and it is advisable to cook or dehydrate them the day they are found in the wild. Check for insects in the stems, and discard.

Boletes mushrooms are used fresh or can be dried for consistent availability and have a rich, deep, earthy flavor which is famous throughout the world in numerous cuisines. Musty and slightly nutty tasting with a firm texture that becomes meaty and silken when cooked, Boletes are wonderful in wild rice pilaf or added to a stuffing dish. You can sauté the caps in olive oil with garlic or onions (or other original or traditional ethnic seasoning combinations), roast them, or brush with seasoned oil and broil. The best Boletes have a strong, meaty flavor and soft texture, go great in any recipe calling for wild mushrooms, and though not as tender as the caps, if the stems may be simmered in soups or used to add flavorful morsels for pasta sauces and casseroles.

 

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