While I’m cooking at home during our break from our San Francisco Food Tour of North Beach\Little Italy and Chinatown, I like to keep certain staples in my kitchen. There are certain things that I like to have such as flour and butter, however one of the staples that I like to have is dried porcini mushrooms. One of the ways that I like to use them is in things like risotto. First, I’ll like to rehydrate them in about a cup of warm liquid such, as water or stock. Next, after they are hydrated, I’ll use them in the risotto. The liquid left over is really good to use, as well, as it has lots of flavor. The only thing is that you want either strain it to get rid of any grit or if you don’t want to strain the liquid, don’t pour in the last amount of liquid, if you see any grit. Porcini mushrooms are also a good base for sauces or soup.
On our San Francisco Food Tours, we’ll usually see both fresh and dried porcini mushrooms. The fresh are great in soups and sauces. Just be sure to clean them well, so you don’t have any dirt. They are also great just cut and directly in things like salads.
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