Porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis) are often thought to be the gourmet mushroom of gourmet mushrooms. Some people have claimed that the taste and aroma are addictive, and even others have claimed that they can be an aphrodesiac. No matter what you think of them, they are a truly delicious mushroom with virtually no limit in their culinary use.

Because of their superior reputation, porcini’s often carry with them a much higher price tag than other mushrooms. Because of this, the best way to use and buy porcini’s is the buy them as Dried Porcini’s, or even better as Bulk Dried Porcini’s. By buying bulk dried porcini’s you are going to get the most bang for your buck. Dried Porcini’s can last about 1 year, and since they are dried their flavor is more concentrated and you can use less dried porcini’s than you would fresh porcini’s.

Using dried porcini’s is not hard or really anymore time consuming than using fresh. On top of that you can usually always have some on hand and you can use the liquid for rehydration in your sauces, soups, stews, or braising liquid. This is an excellent tip that people often don’t think of, or forget to do. When you rehydrate dried porcini’s you will have a remarkably flavorful liquid left behind. Don’t let this go to waste!!! Use it and you will not be disappointed with the results!Where can you use dried porcini mushrooms? Just about anywhere you would use any other mushrooms. The obvious place to start would be a mushroom risotto (recipe in the link). Risotto’s are often thought to be complicated and hard, but in reality they are very easy and enjoyable to make. Today though, we are going to offer you another recipe idea for your dried porcini mushrooms.

Since it is getting toward summer here, we are going to offer you a nice recipe we found over at Epicurious

Grilled Sausages with Chunky Tomato Porcini Sauce

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups hot water

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 1/2 pounds assorted uncooked sausages (such as Italian, turkey and
 chicken)

Preparation

Place dried mushrooms in small bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water; let stand 30 minutes to soften. Remove dried porcini mushrooms from soaking liquid, squeezing mushrooms to release liquid into same bowl. Reserve liquid. Chop mushrooms.

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add rosemary and red pepper and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and porcini mushrooms. Pour in mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment in bottom of bowl. Bring sauce to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat; simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Before using, rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Grill sausages until just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Enjoy this great recipe and be sure to check out the Athena Foods gourmet store for more gourmet ingredients, cutting boards, and mixes you need to Cook Like a Goddess