If you love mushrooms, as I do, at some point you will have the pleasure of eating fresh Porcinis. I have found that the ones from Italy are far better than any others I’ve tried (US Northwest, Slovenia, etc.) Fortunately, Eataly in Boston often carries Italian fresh Porcinis. After a number of marginally successful attempts, I finally cooked them properly. This coincided with my sourdough bread-making in March, and it provided some superb meals.

After several months of Ken Forkish-style breads, I switched back to Tartine Bakery for this effort. I did not get as much oven-spring with these loaves as I had hoped, but they tasted good nonetheless.

I cooked the thin slices of Porcini in olive oil until they started to brown. Then I added some white wine to the pan, and sweet butter and chopped garlic, and cooked the mushrooms until they were rich with flavor. Two slices of toasted sourdough, spread with a mixture of whipped feta cheese and almond milk ricotta, were topped with the mushrooms and consumed with gusto. A glass of 2015 Odoardi Savuto Calabrian wine was the perfect accompaniment.

A pasta dish the next night used the rest of the mushrooms, and it was enhanced with zucchini, beans, Parmesan cheese, and homemade, toasted breadcrumbs. Savuto prevailed again.