Pickled porcini mushrooms
1 serving
60 minutes
It's ideal if you find small and not overgrown mushrooms for this - that way they'll marinate evenly. Pavel Olkhov, chef at Temple Bar, shared the recipe.
1
Any small, non-overgrown mushrooms with a firm structure are suitable for pickling. Ideal white mushrooms for pickling are no more than 5 cm tall, with a strong stem. Uniform size of mushrooms or their parts is not only aesthetic but also pragmatic: uniform pieces will cook and pickle simultaneously and evenly.
2
Prepare them as follows: first cut off the stem and check if it is firm. If yes, leave the stem and cut the cap (without the sponge) into quarters; if it is soft, leave only the cap. Worm tracks are not a big deal if the stem is firm and not rotten. Autumn white mushrooms are ideal in this regard as they are least wormy. Cut small mushrooms into quarters with the cap, take small ones whole.
3
Soak the mushrooms in a salt solution (20 grams of salt per 1 liter of water) for 15-20 minutes. Salt helps to clean the mushrooms not only from worms and slugs but also from dirt and moss that get tightly packed between the stem and cap, which cannot be easily washed away with water.
- Salt: 20 g
4
Forest mushrooms should be cleaned immediately after collection. The longer the time passes since collection, the more moisture they lose and the harder they are to clean. A freshly cut mushroom's stem is very easy to clean. Mushrooms bought at the market should be soaked in salt first, then cleaning the stem will not be difficult.
5
Boil the mushrooms soaked in salt solution and cleaned. Transfer them to the pot by hand to avoid disturbing the layer of dirt settled at the bottom. If you drain the water through a sieve, everything that came out of the mushrooms will end up back on them.
6
The pot's volume should exceed the mushrooms' volume by 2-3 times, as mushrooms float while cooking and take up a lot of space. Place the mushrooms in slightly salted boiling water. The amount of water doesn't matter — the main thing is to have enough space between the mushrooms. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Salt: 20 g
7
When foam appears, remove it with a spoon.
8
Once the mushrooms settle at the bottom, turn off the heat. Pour cold water into a bowl or add ice and transfer the mushrooms from the pot to it. This is necessary to quickly cool the mushrooms and stop the internal softening processes, lowering their temperature. Do not keep them in water for long; just ensure that the cooking process stops in the mushrooms. Then drain the water.
9
Place the boiled mushrooms in prepared jars to estimate how much product will result. Do not pack the mushrooms too tightly, as the marinade will be absorbed by them and they will slightly increase in volume. The amount of marinade needed should be roughly equal to what fits in the jar. Boil the mushrooms in the marinade; one part will be absorbed by them, and the other should be poured on top in the jars.
10
For 0.5 liters of water, use 20 grams of salt, 10 grams of sugar, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves, a bit of black pepper for heat, a bit of allspice for aroma, and a bit of pink pepper for its appearance in the jar.
- Salt: 20 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Bay leaf: 2 pieces
- Carnation: 2 pieces
- Black peppercorns: pinch
- Allspice peas: 5 piece
- Pink pepper: pinch
11
Put everything in cold water and bring to a boil. The marinade should taste like salty water. If the sugar is too strong, add more salt. Let it boil for 10 minutes.
12
Add vinegar. 50 ml is an average amount. Those who like it more sour can add more. You need to taste the marinade.
- Vinegar 9%: 50 ml
13
Add mushrooms to the boiling marinade and let them simmer for 10 minutes. Larger mushrooms can be boiled for 20 minutes.
14
Transfer the mushrooms to jars, then remove the spices and add them to the mushrooms. Pour everything with marinade. The mushrooms in the jar should touch but not be pressed together. The top of the mushrooms should be covered with marinade by about 1 mm. The most impatient can eat the mushrooms the next day, but it's better to wait at least 3 days.