Sugo ai Funghi

If you buy fresh porcini that aren't too large, you can fry them, or you can make Sugo ai Funghi, mushroom sauce:

• About a half pound of mushroom stalks, minced
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• A sprig of nipitella or thyme, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic and thyme, and when the garlic turns golden (do not let it brown) stir in the mushrooms. Cook over high heat until they give off their moisture, then reduce the heat and simmer. Stir in the tomato paste after about ten minutes, correct seasoning, and continue simmering until the sauce is done (the liquid will be much reduced and the mushroom bits will be very tender). Should it dry out while simmering, sprinkle it with dry white wine or broth. This sauce is wonderful over any kind of pasta or polenta (you may want to forego grated Parmigiano here), and is also excellent as an antipasto, spread on crostini, which are thin, 1-1/2 inch diameter slices of very lightly toasted bread.

This sauce can also be made with dried porcini: steep the porcini, about a packed half cup, in boiling water for 20 minutes or until they've expanded. Drain them, reserving the liquid, and mince them. High heat will not be necessary in this case; merely simmer them with the remaining ingredients, adding the water they steeped in after filtering it, because it may contain sand.

About Porcini
The sauces index

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