Today’s shopping basket is filled with porcini mushrooms. Admittedly,
it’s not mushroom season yet but since dried porcini means that we never have
to go without, I thought I’d jump the gun and raise a subject that’s very close
to my heart. It’s a cautionary tale. Not all dried porcini are equal and it
helps to know what you are looking for. So, for a few tips on finding the best,
click on the shopping basket to your right.
How about quince -what are some Italian things to do with it? I bought one recently and now I understand why you don't eat it raw (ick!).
ReplyDeleteHi Laney. Thanks for looking in. Quince... that's a good one. The Romans called it melimelum - which comes from the Greek, 'honey-apple'. But, as you rightly point out, 'ick', not because it's sweet, but because they used to preserve it in honey. Italians call it 'mela cotogna'. Most commonly it's used to make cotognata - a type of jam/sweet in which the quince is cooked, peeled and seeds removed, the pulp passed through a sieve, weighed and cooked along with equal amounts of sugar for a long, long time until it has a deep amber colour. It's then allowed to cool and can be cut into little cubes - like little jelly sweets. Alternatively, in my local province, they are used to make a traditional digestive drink called 'sburlon' - which roughly means to give you a slap (or push your dinner down). The fruit is mashed and covered in alcohol and left to flavour for up to 3 months. We then add sugar and water (some people add wine), it's bottled and ready to drink in a month. Other than that, it's commonly used to make mostarda - a honey-mustard preserve which is eaten with boiled or roast meats. In the autumn, when I can get hold of some, I'll write a full post on the subject but in the mean time, I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mario!
ReplyDeleteLove Porcini baked on its own with a little fresh time, seasoning and rude amount of butter!! Can't find enough, here's tips to find some yourself - http://www.wildfoodandrecipes.co.uk/2012/09/the-penny-bun-cep-or-porcini-cooks.html
ReplyDelete