Italian Porcini Mushrooms in the Fall

market fresh porcini mushrooms

I’ve just come home with market fresh porcini mushrooms to prepare for dinner. I’m making tagliatelle ai funghi porcini, a favorite and easy seasonal dish to make.

Crates of freshly gathered porcini mushrooms sit on tables at the market and sorting through them is like walking through a museum where each piece is a masterpiece. They are so fragrant, giant gems in quiet shades of brown, and can be as large as my hand; they smell like the woods, like deep soil and bark and the goodness of the Fall season.

The market vendor tenderly places the mushrooms I have chosen in a paper bag — they are so fresh they still have soil on them — and I walk home with my nose in this little sack. The soil slowly loosens from the stems as I walk, pleasantly rattling at the bottom of the bag to my rhythm.

Once home I carefully dust off the mushrooms with a dish towel. This is the hardest part of the task, being gentle. I am in awe of mushrooms. They are beautiful in their strangeness, and are so nutrient-dense. 

While I set the pasta to boil, I slice and sauté the porcini in a dollop of olive oil, adding one garlic clove. The mushrooms soften perfectly just as the pasta is cooked (always al dente, never overcooked). I throw in a pinch of peperoncino and a dash of salt. Done.

Dinner is served! And I got exercise out of it, too.

Slow living in a big city is possible. I think that no matter where we live we can find moments that connect us to the rhythms of nature. These porcini came out of the wild and into my day, a perfect sensory experience that elevated a simple pleasure - eating fresh and in season.