‘Porcini is the jewel of our forests’

This summer mushroom season has been extra strong due to the good amount of warmth we have endowered. Hands down porcini is my favourite mushroom (herkkutatti in Finnish & boletus edulis in English) as its elegant taste is buttery and creamy, unlike no other mushroom. Due to the pandemic and the arrival of a new dog, we have been gone to the forest exceptionally much this summer to pick mushrooms. Porcini pie is a classic, that I would imagine most Scandinavians bake so I wanted to share this delicious one with you all. The amount of porcini that you put into the filling is up to you, but I love it when there is a lot of mushroom. Naturally this pie works with other mushroom types too, for example chanterelle or yellowfoot and if you don’t like mushroom, then add a vegetable (like spinach & broccoli) instead.

Porcini Pie Ingredients

• 5-6 smaller porcini mushrooms
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• Salt, pepper, chicken stock cube
• 2 sage leaves, oregano
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter for frying/ oil for brushing
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Directions

Roughly chop the porcini into smaller sized pieces. However, take your prettiest smaller porcini and slice it thinly horizontally into longer pieces. These will be used for decorating the top of the pie.

Begin by sautéing the chopped porcini in a dollop of butter. Gently fry them for a decent around of time (10minutes) to release any excess moisture and to allow them to crisp. Then add the chopped onion and garlic along with all the herbs. Sauté for about 5 minutes before adding the cream. Season with black pepper and salt, a spoonful of Dijon and a chicken stock cube. Gently stir for a good 7 minutes so the cream reduces and the porcini “sauce” is quite thick in consistency. Remove to a bowl and let it slightly cool while you prepare the pie crust.

Take your pie tin and cut some parchment paper so it covers all sides of the tin. Coat the sides of the parchment paper by brushing oil around it. Take your store-bought puff-pastry and roll it out if necessary. Place the dough on top of the pie tin so the sides come over the edge. Cut any excess dough if needed. This gives it a rustic feel as it does not look to refined. Go back to your filling and add 2 eggs to it along with grated parmesan cheese. Mix together and pour the mixture into the pie tin. Place the horizontal porcini slices on top and brush with a bit of oil. These will naturally darken (almost blacken) in the oven but it still shows the porcini shape gorgeously.

Place into a preheat oven (180 Celsius degrees) for about an hour. Allow to cool before serving.