Porcini Broth Recipes

PORTOBELLO AND PORCINI BROTH

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the portobellos and herbs; cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their juices, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to high; cook until the mushrooms brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook to reduce, about 1 minute. Add the porcini, peppercorns, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 12 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced by about one-third, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the tortelloni as the label directs. Drain; skewer on toothpicks.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids. Skim any excess fat from the surface. Season with salt. Serve with the tortelloni and sprinkle with parmesan.

PORCINI BROTH

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cover with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain. Broth may be made in advance and will keep a week, refrigerated.

TORTELLINI IN PORCINI BROTH

Steps:

• If you haven't soaked the Porcini in advance (see note below) set combine Porcini and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer; let soak for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain soaked Porcini, rinse them to remove grit; and chop them. Strain the soaking liquid through non-bleached paper towel or cotton cheesecloth-lined sieve; reserve for later.
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. When hot add chopped soaked Porcini and saute for a few seconds. Add the fresh mushrooms, cover and cook over very low heat until mushrooms are tender (if they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a few spoonfuls of mushroom soaking liquid). Add reserved Porcini liquid and broth and bring to a simmer; add tortellini and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes or until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and portion out; garnish with chives.
• NOTE - to soak mushrooms in advance; cover 2 ounces of dried mushrooms with 1 quart of water; set in refrigerator overnight or for longer; remove soaked mushrooms and soaking liquid as needed.

BRAISED BROCCOLI AND PORCINI WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 2 cups boiling water for at least 10 minutes.
• At the same time, heat olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot and slowly saute until soft and juices have been released, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove porcini from the water and use a damp paper towel to remove any grit. Reserve soaking water.
• Add porcini to the Dutch oven with miso paste and yeast extract. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add broccoli; put floret heads facing down and stem pieces nestled in so they are touching the bottom of the pot. Layer radicchio slices evenly on top. Pour in wine without disturbing the vegetables. Cover and simmer, occasionally shaking the pan gently, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water, vegetable broth, and salt to a boil. Sprinkle fistfuls of polenta into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly so clumps don't form. Continue to stir in polenta until completely added. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until polenta is thick and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Strain the reserved soaking water, twice if necessary, to remove any sediment.
• Pour 1/2 of the soaking water into the Dutch oven with the broccoli. Gently shake the pot and use a wooden spoon to carefully loosen the florets without breaking them apart. Gently fold vegetables over until coated with cooking sauce. Continue to simmer, uncovered, occasionally shaking the pot. Cook until broccoli is tender but still firm to the touch and radicchio is completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour polenta onto a lightly oiled polenta board and spread it evenly over the board. Use a slotted spoon to gently spoon vegetables over the polenta.
• Pour remaining soaking water into the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Make a slurry with the remaining water and cornstarch; pour into the Dutch oven while whisking constantly. Cook until sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour sauce over the broccoli and polenta or serve on the side.

MUSHROOM TORTELLINI IN MUSHROOM BROTH

Steps:

• Prepare vegetables for stuffing and broth:
• Pour boiling-hot water over porcini in a bowl and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes. Lift out porcini, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and rinse to remove any grit. Finely chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another bowl and reserve.
• Trim leek, reserving about 5 inches of green leaves, and rinse greens well. Halve rest of leek lengthwise, then rinse well under cold water and pat dry. Coarsely chop greens and finely chop white and pale green parts, reserving greens separately.
• Finely grate enough cheese to measure 1/4 cup, then cut off and reserve rind. Reserve remaining piece of cheese.
• Make filling for tortellini:
• Pulse cremini caps, shiitake caps, 1/3 cup chopped porcini, white and pale green parts of leek, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely minced.
• Heat butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushroom mixture, stirring constantly, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Stir in 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Make broth:
• Tuck parsley and thyme sprigs into celery and tie together tightly with string to make a bouquet garni. Bring cold water, beef broth, bouquet garni, cracked peppercorns, cremini stems, shiitake stems, leek greens, remaining chopped porcini, porcini soaking liquid, cheese rind, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes.
• Pour broth through a large sieve lined with a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth (or dampened paper towels) into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids. Return broth to saucepan.
• Roll out pasta and form tortellini:
• Set smooth rollers of pasta maker at widest setting. Cut pasta dough into 4 pieces and keep 3 pieces covered. Flatten unwrapped piece of dough into a rectangle and feed through rollers. Fold rectangle in half and feed through rollers 8 more times, folding in half each time and dusting with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through without folding. Continue to feed dough through without folding, making space between rollers narrower each time, until narrowest setting is used. (Cut sheet of dough in half if it gets too long.)
• Cut out as many rounds as possible from sheet with cookie cutter (reserve trimmings for another use, such as chicken noodle soup). Transfer rounds in 1 layer to a lightly floured wax-paper-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
• Working with 5 pasta rounds at a time, put 1/4 teaspoon filling in center of each round, keeping remaining rounds covered tightly with plastic wrap. Moisten edges of filling-topped rounds with a fingertip dipped in water and fold in half, letting bottom edge protrude slightly beyond top edge, then press top edge to bottom half to seal. Holding straight edge of half-moon against nail of your little finger, wrap half-moon around fingertip (which will cause curved edge to flip up), overlapping corners and pinching to seal. Transfer tortellini to a dry kitchen towel (not terry cloth).
• Roll out and cut remaining dough and make more tortellini in same manner, working with 1 piece at a time.
• Cook tortellini:
• Bring broth to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Add tortellini and cook at a strong simmer, stirring gently once or twice, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Ladle broth with 8 to 10 tortellini per person into bowls and serve remaining piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side for grating.

PORCINI RISOTTO

Steps:

• Soak dried porcini in 3 cups water until rehydrated, about an hour. Strain the mushrooms, reserving the broth for the risotto. (Discard the last 1/2 inch of the liquid; it will contain dirt from the porcini.) Roughly chop the mushrooms, then set aside. When you're ready, heat the chicken stock and mushroom broth to a simmer.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and season with salt and pepper; add garlic and cook until slightly translucent. Add rice and stir to coat with the oil; season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly translucent. Add wine and stir until almost all the liquid has cooked off. Add hot stock and broth mixture, a ladleful at a time, completely stirring in the liquid each time. Keep adding broth as needed so there is always a 1/4-inch liquid layer over the rice.
• After 15 to 20 minutes, the rice should be close to al dente. Add the mushrooms, then the sage (leaving some for garnish), stirring vigorously. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then cheese. Serve immediately.
• To serve, spoon into shallow bowls, shave some Parmesan on top, then garnish with remaining sage.

WILD MUSHROOM RAVIOLI IN PORCINI BROTH

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add porcini. Remove from heat; let soak until mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Place strainer over medium bowl; line strainer with cheesecloth. Strain mushroom soaking liquid (reserve mushrooms for another use).
• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom soaking liquid, then chicken broth, wine, Sherry, salt, and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before using.
• Cook ravioli in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Add ravioli to hot mushroom broth; ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with green onion tops and serve.

PORCINI BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine porcinis and broth; let stand 30 minutes.
• Drain mushrooms, reserving broth, and place in food processor.
• Strain broth and reduce over medium heat to 3 - 4 tablespoons.
• Add broth to food processor and process to puree.
• Add butter and process to blend.
• Transfer to serving dish and use as a topping.
• Store in refrigerator.

PORCINI MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 2 cups hot water 15 minutes.
• Cook onion in butter with 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown,.
• 10 to 12 minutes. Add celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer porcini with a slotted spoon to pot and strain soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure.
• Add white mushrooms to pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, remaining 6 cups water, and porcini-soaking liquid. Simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes.
• Purée 1 cup vegetables and 1 cup liquid in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to pot. Stir in parsley, dill, and salt to taste.