"King of mushrooms", "king of the forest", boletus and nineteen different names. Today we will talk about ceps. They are called “rulers” for a reason. Mushrooms very favorably differ from their "relatives" in quality, composition, properties. These mushrooms are quite large. Height - 12-25 cm, diameter of hats - 5-25 cm, sometimes reaches 50 cm. There are giants, whose weight exceeds 10 kg. They grow well in North America, throughout Eurasia, as well as in Russian forests. Porcini mushrooms especially love the young forest, which has not yet turned forty years old.
Useful properties of porcini mushroom broth
Any dietitian will say that the first meal will be the most useful soup of dried porcini mushrooms. Mushrooms are a storehouse of nutrients and vitamins. The mushroom broth, which stimulates digestion, improves the functioning of the stomach and bile ducts, is especially appreciated. It is believed that it is much more useful than the classic meat broth. The mushroom dishes contain carotene, vitamin D, C, riboflavin, which is so necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.
It is proved that dried porcini mushroom soup (a photo recipe will be given below), systematically consumed, can help in the fight against colds and viruses. In addition, mushrooms have in their composition substances that have a wound healing, tonic, antitumor effect. Eating dishes from porcini mushrooms, a person increases the amount of amino acids in his body. It is they who participate in the renewal of cells, do not allow the accumulation of cholesterol in the vessels.
As for calorie content, here the porcini mushroom confirms its title of "king". This is perhaps one of the few mushrooms that is 91% water. Its calorie content per 100 g of product is only 32 Kcal.
The use and preparation of ceps
In order to preserve all the useful properties, it is necessary to properly prepare and prepare mushrooms. Unfortunately, in the process of classical preservation, they will lose their useful properties, so the housewives do not roll them in a jar, do not sterilize, do not cook for too long. The best option for preserving the aroma, taste and useful qualities of porcini mushrooms is drying or freezing. That is why in the cookbooks you will most often find recipes for soups from dried porcini mushrooms, and not from canned ones. Under the influence of temperature, ceps lose useful proteins. As a result of cooking, for example, 4/5 of the total amount is consumed. But during drying, only 1/5 of the part is lost.
In addition, despite the low calorie content, fried mushrooms are quite heavy food. Fried porcini mushrooms are very difficult to digest. Any experienced culinary expert will say that the ideal dish is dried porcini mushroom soup cooked in vegetable or mushroom broth. Mushrooms in combination with vegetables will give the necessary portion of vitamins, but they will not overload the stomach. That is why today we have collected for you the easiest to prepare, delicious and popular recipes. Even an inexperienced cook can master the process of working with porcini mushrooms. No particularly expensive, difficult to find, unusual ingredients for cooking will be required.
The classic recipe for dried porcini mushroom soup
To begin with, we note that porcini mushrooms do not like a large number of spices. Experienced culinary experts say that bay leaves and a pair of peppercorns will be enough to enhance the aroma of mushrooms. Be sure to look at the mushrooms before cooking, they should be small in size, well dried, without flaws.
Essential Ingredients
For soup you will need:
- 80 g of mushrooms;
- three potatoes;
- 1.8 liters of water;
- carrot;
- oil;
- bulb;
- a pinch of salt;
- bay leaf;
- three peas of pepper.
Proper preparation of mushrooms for the cooking process
This is a standard procedure, suitable for any dish, dried porcini mushroom soup is no exception. In the evening, on the eve of cooking, it is recommended to soak the mushrooms in warm water. If you don’t have time for preliminary preparation, then you can soak the mushrooms an hour before cooking, but then in very hot water. After soaking, the water drains. Mushrooms are washed under cold water, cut into pieces and sent to the pan. The necessary amount of water is poured there, a pinch of salt, a bay leaf and peppercorns are added. The broth is boiled for about 45-50 minutes.
How to make dried porcini mushroom soup?
After the broth has been cooked, diced potatoes are added to it. From carrots and onions it is necessary to fry in oil. Sprinkle the vegetables on top with flour, add a couple of tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. Such a dressing in the future will give the soup the necessary density. You can also add a spoonful of sour cream to the frying, then the soup will have a creamy taste. Cook it until the potatoes are ready, Turn off the fire, let it brew. You can use a blender and make mashed soup of dried porcini mushrooms. Do not forget to catch a couple of mushrooms, they are useful for decorating dishes.
Mushroom soup with vermicelli
This is another traditional and very popular recipe. It was cooked by our grandmothers, great-grandmothers. The cooking process is very simple, it will not cause difficulties even for novice housewives. Do not forget about the proper preparation of the ingredients before you cook the mushroom soup from dried porcini mushrooms.
What is needed for the dish?
So we need:
- 85 g of mushrooms;
- two large potato tubers;
- carrots and onions;
- 120 g of spaghetti or special thin vermicelli for soup;
- salt;
- laurel. sheet;
- 2.2 liters of water.
How to cook?
While the broth is being cooked, we fry the carrots and onions, and peel the potatoes and cut into portions. At the 25th minute of cooking the mushrooms, we send the potatoes to the pan. Refueling is added already at the last stages of preparation, as is vermicelli. As soon as these two components are in the soup, we detect 4 minutes. and turn off the fire. Necessary spices, as well as fresh herbs, are added after the gas is turned off. Recipe for dried porcini mushroom soup with vermicelli does not require long-lasting infusion. If a regular soup should be infused for 18-25 minutes, then this is unacceptable here, since vermicelli can swell.
Soup with cheese and porcini mushrooms
As you know, the best "friend" of mushrooms in many dishes is cheese. For this recipe, it is better to choose high-quality cream cheese, which is characterized by a small percentage of fat content. In addition, it should melt well, because this is what helps all components to combine into one culinary masterpiece.
List of Essential Ingredients
We will prepare everything you need:
- 400 g of potatoes;
- 180 g of mushrooms;
- 160 g processed cheese;
- carrot;
- bulb;
- laurel leaf;
- salt;
- 25 g plums. oils;
- two peas of pepper.
How is the dish prepared?
As in previous recipes, pre-soak the mushrooms. Pour the necessary amount of water into the pan, throw a bay leaf, a couple of peas of pepper, salt. Cut the soaked mushrooms and send to cook. Simmer the broth for 25-35 minutes. At the 30th minute, add the cubes of potatoes to the mushrooms. Cook for another 15 minutes. This time will be enough to peel and grate the carrots, as well as chop the onion vegetable into cubes. We do the frying in butter. Add it to the soup, cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off the fire, grind all the ingredients with a blender. Reheat the soup again, gradually adding the cubes of cream cheese. As soon as it dissolves, remove the dishes from the fire. When serving, you can add greens or sour cream. Also, dried porcini mushroom soup (photo shows) is served with croutons of white or black bread. They are cooked in a matter of minutes in the oven, and then "hot" rubbed with garlic.
Mushroom Chicken Soup
Nutritionists say that porcini mushrooms blend perfectly with chicken. This soup can be called dietary, since 100 grams of the product accounts for 211 calories. You can always vary calorie content by the number of ingredients or by reducing their number.
Required:
- 420 g chicken;
- one potato;
- 80 g of mushrooms;
- one carrot;
- 1.4 liters of water;
- spices "for soup";
- greens.
Step cooking
The first step, of course, will be the preliminary soaking of the mushrooms. This is done a couple of hours before cooking (you can do it the day before). Chicken breast is cut into small thin strips. Among the mushrooms, the most beautiful and large ones are selected (2-4 pcs. Will be enough). The remaining mushrooms are cut into pieces. Peel the carrots, cut into thin circles. Potatoes are cut in standard cubes. Since we are preparing a dietary dish, the list of ingredients contains only one small potato and a complete lack of oil and salt. We will cook carrots with potatoes, without making classic frying. The required amount of salt will be contained in spices.
Cook mushroom broth, adding potatoes to it in the 25th minute of cooking. After 5-6 minutes, we send the carrots to the soup. Cook the dish for another 12-14 minutes. We put spices, bay leaf. After a couple of minutes, the soup can be turned off. Let it brew for a while. Serve to the table with fresh herbs or a spoon of low-fat sour cream.
How to dry porcini mushrooms?
As we have already said, drying is the best option for harvesting boletus. If you have the opportunity to collect mushrooms in the nearest forest during the season, and not spend big money on their purchase in the supermarket, then we will give some tips that relate to drying at home.
The first thing to do is disassemble your "prey" by removing bad mushrooms. Next is the cleaning process. It is important to remember that porcini mushrooms do not wash, they are cleaned with a cloth, removing sand, dirt, debris. With a slightly damp sponge, you can wipe the leg and hat. We cut the mushrooms too large in half, leave the medium and small ones in their original form.
The drying process is best started in the hot season. However, direct sunlight should be avoided. Mushrooms are suspended in a well-ventilated place. In the open air, for boletus, 4-7 days will be enough for complete drying. Everything will depend on conditions and weather.
If the drying process takes place at home, then experienced housewives advise using an oven. In the open air, dust or insects can get on the mushrooms, while the oven helps to avoid all this. Prepared mushrooms are cut into thin plates, laid out on a large baking sheet and sent to the oven. The temperature in the oven should vary from 40 to 45 degrees. When the mushrooms dry out a little, you can increase the temperature to 65 degrees. Cooking time - 2 days. During this time, it is necessary to periodically remove the mushrooms from the oven, shake, turn, In general, allow them to cool slightly and ventilate.