Simple step-by-step recipes for making pickled porcini mushrooms for the winter at home

Mushrooms are a great choice for both main dishes and appetizers. Among the wide variety of mushrooms, porcini mushrooms stand out, boasting numerous beneficial properties and exceptional flavor. Let's explore how to marinate porcini mushrooms for the winter and the most popular recipes for this dish.

White mushroom – description and properties

The main distinguishing feature of the porcini mushroom (boletus) is its beautiful appearance and rich flavor. The porcini mushroom is easily distinguished from its other relatives:

1. It is large in size—some specimens can reach 25 centimeters in height. This is an impressive size, and not every other variety can boast this.
2. The stem of the boletus can grow up to 10 centimeters in diameter.
3. The cap is also striking in size. 25-30 centimeters in diameter is considered normal.
4. The top of the cap is covered with a smooth, pale yellow skin, while the bottom has a sponge-like structure.
5. The porcini mushroom has a pleasant, rich aroma.
6. The boletus has dense white flesh.

Please note! Mushroom pickers wishing to "hunt" for these delicacies should keep in mind that the appearance of this mushroom may vary depending on its age and growing location.

Young boletuses have a stem that's thickened at the base, while older boletuses have a tall, rounded stem, the color of which, as it approaches the cap, takes on green or red tones. The cap of young specimens also has its own distinctive features, compared to older ones. For example:

• a young specimen has a cap, the lower part of which is colored white;
• The lower part of the cap of an old boletus changes color and becomes greenish, with a yellow tint.

The place of growth leaves its mark on the appearance of the boletus:

• Specimens growing in spruce forests have a pale pink cap, which changes color to a pale red hue with age;
• in a birch forest the cap turns brown;
• Oak groves give boletus a dark red hue, covered with a slight cloudy coating. Experienced mushroom pickers believe that specimens grown in oak groves have a distinct aroma and rich flavor.

Preparing the main ingredient

To ensure a successful pickling process, pay special attention to preparing the boletus mushrooms for pickling. To do this, pay attention to the following details:

1. It's best to pick boletus mushrooms yourself, using forested areas away from roads and major highways. This is because boletus mushrooms are a natural adsorbent, trapping and retaining harmful substances in the air and soil. Consequently, areas with high air pollution are not the best hunting grounds for mushroom pickers.
2. Young specimens are best suited for preparing pickled snacks.
3. If the boletus is large, it is cut into small pieces of the same size.
4. The product used for pickling should be thoroughly washed in water.
5. Homemakers who use not only the caps but also the stems in their marinade should clean this part of the mushroom, removing all dirt. Small brushes are suitable for this purpose; they will thoroughly remove any stuck-on soil and debris.
6. You can use not only fresh but also frozen ingredients. The resulting preparations will be just as tasty and nutritious.
7. Adding a small amount of acetic acid to the marinade will help extend the shelf life of pickled porcini mushrooms.

Winter preparation recipes

Unfortunately, boletus mushrooms are not suited for long-term storage in their fresh state. After 24 hours, the mushroom will lose its freshness and become unfit for consumption.

To increase shelf life at home or in other conditions, the following preservation methods have been developed:

• pickling;
• drying;
• salting;
• freezing.

Each method has its own advantages, which we will discuss below.

Pickling

A common method among housewives for preserving boletus mushrooms for the winter. There are many recipes passed down from generation to generation, but the following stand out among the most:

• cooking porcini mushrooms using sweet and sour marinade;
• pickling with citric acid in jars;
• boletus mushrooms marinated with vinegar and garlic;
• simple marinade, no vinegar.

Each recipe offers a balanced, rich flavor that will grace any table. Let's take a closer look at each recipe.

Cooking in a sweet and sour marinade

To prepare this recipe you will need:

• 1 kilogram of boletus;
• 100 grams of carrots;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 200 grams of onions;
• 30 grams of granulated sugar;
• 20 grams of salt;
• 10 grams of citric acid;
• 100 milliliters of 6% vinegar solution;
• Pepper and dry mustard. Add to taste.

Method of preparation:

1. Wash and cut the porcini mushrooms into large pieces.
2. Blanch the prepared mushrooms for 4 minutes in boiling water. Add 10 grams each of citric acid and salt.
3. We sterilize the container in which the mushrooms will be marinated and put a bay leaf in it.
4. Place blanched mushrooms, peppers and mustard on top.
5. Prepare the onions and carrots. Peel and chop them. Cut the onions into rings and the carrots into slices.
6. Add vegetables and pour the marinade over the mixture.
7. The marinade is made from boiled water (150 milliliters) in which vinegar, granulated sugar and salt are dissolved.
8. The container is sterilized and sealed with a lid.

Marinate with citric acid in jars

To make this recipe you will need:

• 10 kilograms of boletus;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• bay leaf;
• 3 grams of citric acid;
• carnation;
• 40 grams of salt;
• vinegar – half a glass;
• cinnamon.

Cooking algorithm:

1. Wash the porcini mushrooms thoroughly. It's a good idea to repeat this process several times.
2. Place the prepared product in a saucepan, adding water, bay leaf, citric acid, cloves, cinnamon and salt.
3. Cook the porcini mushrooms, remembering to periodically skim off the foam that forms on the surface of the water.
4. At the end of cooking, when the mushrooms are almost ready, add vinegar.
5. Turn off the heat and remove the mushrooms from the pan, distributing them evenly among the jars.
6. After all the jars are filled, pour the marinade in which the porcini mushrooms were cooked into them.
7. Cover the container with a lid and sterilize them for 30 minutes.
8. We roll up the lids and turn the container upside down, placing it in a warm place for a day, covered with a blanket.
9. We put the finished products away in the cellar.

Marinating with vinegar and garlic

You will need:

• 200 grams of garlic;
• 1 kilogram of boletus;
• 2 bay leaves;
• granulated sugar – 30 grams;
• 100 milliliters of 6% vinegar;
• salt – 20 grams;
• 10 allspice peas.

To properly prepare the marinade, use the following step-by-step recipe:

1. Wash and chop the mushrooms coarsely.
2. Blanch for 5 minutes in salted water. Add 10 grams of salt per 100 milliliters of boiling water.
3. Prepare the marinade. Add sugar and the remaining salt to 200 milliliters of liquid. After the liquid boils, let it simmer for 5 minutes and then add the vinegar.
4. Place mushrooms and peeled garlic into jars and pour the marinade with spices over everything.
5. The container is sterilized and sealed with a lid.

A simple marinade without vinegar

Compound:

• vegetable oil – 0.5 liters;
• water – 0.5 liters;
• salt – 3 tablespoons;
• boletus - 3 kilograms;
• allspice;
• dill.

Wash the mushrooms, cut them into large pieces, and boil them in salted water. Place the mushrooms in a jar used for preserving and, instead of marinating, pour in oil to fill the jar 1/3 full, then fill the rest with water from the saucepan. Sterilize and seal the jars.

Preparing porcini mushrooms for the winter by salting

Pickling is not the only way to stock up on porcini mushrooms for the winter.

Many housewives prefer to pickle porcini mushrooms, and there are the following methods for this:

• hot salting;
• cold salting.

We will look at the differences between them below.

Hot salting

Hot pickling involves pre-boiling the mushrooms and then salting them. To prepare a kilogram of porcini mushrooms using the hot method, you'll need:

• dill;
• bay leaf – 2 pieces;
• salt – 2 tablespoons;
• allspice.

Take the porcini mushrooms and cook them for 20 minutes, remembering to remove the foam from the surface of the water.

Once the mushrooms are cooked through, transfer them to a colander and let cool. Place the mushrooms in a container, sprinkling each layer with seasoning.

Once the container is filled, cover the top layer with a clean cloth and store the container in a cool place, under pressure. Leave the mushrooms in this state for a week, after which they can be eaten or distributed among jars, filled with brine.

Cold salting

Cold salting is done without heat treatment, using salt and spices. For this recipe, you'll need:

• 1 kilogram of boletus;
• salt – 50 grams;
• allspice;
• bay leaf.

Salting should be done step by step, following the following sequence of actions:

1. Pour salt into the bottom of the dish in an even layer.
2. Place the mushrooms caps down on the salt.
3. We repeat the action until the container is full.
4. Cover the dishes with a cloth and place them under pressure.
5. After 3 weeks, the mushrooms are distributed into sterilized containers, filled with brine and stored in the refrigerator.

Preparing porcini mushrooms for the winter by drying

Some housewives prefer to dry mushrooms, thus preserving large supplies for the winter. You can dry:

• naturally;
• using an oven.

The natural way

One way to deliciously preserve porcini mushrooms is to dry them naturally. To do this, you must:

1. Stock up on a large needle, thread or fishing line.
2. A thread is threaded through the needle, after which you string the mushrooms in such a position that they do not touch each other.
3. If the mushroom stem is too long, it must be shortened by 2/3 and cut into 4 mm thick slices.
4. The slices are also threaded onto a needle.
5. The finished bundles are hung in a warm, ventilated place and left there for a week.

Please note! Cover the mushrooms with cheesecloth. This will protect them from insects and dust without restricting airflow.

Using an oven

To prepare a preserve with dried mushrooms, you can use the oven. To do this:

1. Cut the porcini mushrooms into thin slices.
2. Take a tray and line it with parchment paper.
3. Place the mushrooms on a tray, spreading them evenly across the entire surface in a thin layer. Avoid cooking porcini mushrooms in two or three layers.
4. Preheat oven to 60 ^O and place the tray there for 24 hours.
5. Don't forget to remove the tray from time to time and stir the mushrooms periodically.

If the mushrooms haven't dried properly within 24 hours, leave them to cook for a little longer. Unfinished mushrooms will quickly mold.

Conservation

You can stock up for the winter by canning. Canning follows this process:

• Prepare the porcini mushrooms by blanching them and then simmering them for half an hour. Don't forget to add a little salt and vegetable oil;
• as soon as the juice starts to flow abundantly, stop stewing;
• When cooking, do not forget to sterilize the containers;
• While the mass is still warm, it is placed into jars, after which they can be rolled up using a nylon or metal lid.

Freezing mushrooms

Prepare the harvest, selecting only firm, young mushrooms. Remove all debris and soil, thoroughly washing the boletus mushrooms. If necessary, use a toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas. Pay attention to the size of the boletus mushrooms. Small ones can be frozen whole, while larger ones should be cut into medium-sized pieces.

Next, the housewives have two options:

• freeze fresh porcini mushrooms;
• Freeze the prepared porcini mushrooms.

When freezing fresh mushrooms, place them on a tray and place them in the freezer for several hours. Afterward, remove the tray, and divide the frozen porcini mushrooms into special boxes, storing them in the freezer until needed.

You can boil fresh mushrooms before freezing them. To do this, place them in boiling water for 7 minutes, then drain in a colander and pat dry. Once cooled, place the porcini mushrooms in plastic bags and freeze them. It's best to make portions that can be consumed in one sitting.

Refreezing the product is not recommended. The liquid in which the porcini mushrooms were cooked should not be discarded but used as a base for the broth.

Some cooks fry porcini mushrooms instead of boiling them, slicing them into thin slices. Avoid adding too much oil to the pan. Fry until golden brown. Once the mushrooms are cooked through, remove them from the heat and let them cool. This method is very convenient because they're ready to eat once defrosted, eliminating the need for extra cooking time.

How to properly store mushrooms

Fresh produce doesn't keep for long, even in a cool place—the shelf life is no more than 12 hours. Therefore, if you don't plan to process the produce, consume it as quickly as possible.

Dried mushrooms can be stored at room temperature in a low-humidity environment. High humidity will quickly spoil the product, causing it to develop mold. Dried porcini mushrooms retain their beneficial properties for 1.5 years. Frozen raw porcini mushrooms have a shelf life of one year; if they were heat-treated before freezing, the shelf life is reduced to 6 months.