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Writer's picturePamela Marasco

Woodcutter's Mushrooms

Updated: Dec 27, 2024

A Hunt and Gather culinary adventure with a mushroom dish that brings the deep, earthy flavors of the Italian forest to your seasonal table.



Harvested in the autumn mushrooms have been a sustainable food source in many cultures throughout the winter. Italians love mushrooms. They celebrate the mushroom with festivals (Sagre dei Funghi) that attract crowds of people from all over Italy. They enjoy them with everything from pasta to robust stews, sauces and tarts. Mushrooms make a delicious risotto or when sautéed with olive oil and balsamic an easy bruschetta topping for an aperitivo or light meal.


Our Nonna liked to serve them with polenta and we think that her fondness for the funghi goes back to an ancient tradition from Northern Italy. The pairing of polenta and mushrooms has a seasonal history that goes back to the forests of Northern Italy when woodcutters foraged for wild mushrooms to make a hearty funghi trifolati of sautéed mushrooms as a side dish served with polenta. The dish became known as Woodcutter’s Polenta and Mushrooms and is a popular dish even today. In the coldest months, friends and relatives still gather around the table, open a bottle of a good red wine and share a platter of polenta topped with mushrooms. 


As mushrooms are available fresh year round you want to make sure to choose the best you can find. Mushrooms are known to be an immune booster, a good source of Vitamin D, potassium and selenium and antioxidants that promote good health. They are hearty and filling and considered one of the most sustainably produced foods in the US.


Foraging for fungi usually begins in the produce aisle of your local market or grocery store. Look for mushrooms that are firm with a fresh aroma and smooth appearance. The surface of the mushroom should be plump and dry, but not dried out. The gills should look dry and firm. Avoid mushrooms with a musty smell or damp looking dark spots.


You can keep mushrooms fresh in their original packaging in the refrigerator for a short period of time (around 5 days) but it is not the best way to preserve their freshness. Kitchen experts advise to extend mushrooms’ shelf life store them in a porous brown paper bag. I prefer to shop for my produce like they do in Italy meaning buying it and then using it. I bring the mushrooms home from the market, remove the plastic covering from the container and store them in the original carton open to the air on my kitchen counter and use them within the next day.


Woodcutter's Polenta and Mushrooms


You can use one variety of mushrooms or a combination to make this dish. If wild mushrooms aren't available choose a rustic variety, firm with a meaty texture. You can use porcini, cremini or even white button or any mix that suits you, which does not alter in the slightest the character of this traditional wild mushroom recipe.  



To prepare the fungi trifolati start by cleaning 1 lb of fresh mushrooms, removing any traces of soil and earthy bits from the base by rinsing them quickly under cool running water and gently dry. Trim brown ends from stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms cutting them into pieces.


Sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet on medium high heat with 1 T unsalted butter and 1 T extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the mushroom slices with a pinch of coarse salt. We prefer to use Dario Cecchini Profumo del Chianti Herbal Salt Blend. This will cause the mushrooms to release their juices. Continue the sauté until the mushrooms are soft and well-browned, 4 to 8 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 fresh garlic clove smashed. Adjust seasonings with coarsely ground black pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring until aromatic, about 3-5 more minutes. Remove cover and add 1/4 cup Italian red wine into mushrooms if desired and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has slightly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle mushrooms with some chopped fresh Italian parsley.. Serve with a creamy polenta.



*you can also season with a sprinkling of chopped or powdered nepitella (calamint) when you add the garlic. Nepitella is a wild growing herb from Tuscany with a woodsy flavor; a subtle combination of mint, basil, oregano and thyme. Nonna did not use it in this recipe. I discovered it while cooking in Tuscany.













 

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