Porcini Salad with Arugula

Insalata di Porcini. This salad has been a repeat in the Thielen household and is very easy to make. It’s simple, but with great flavor (as many Italian recipes are). Sometimes porcini mushrooms are difficult to find (even here at grocery stores in Italy), so I’ve used white agaricus bisporus mushrooms. This salad takes only a few minutes of prep time to clean the mushrooms, and only about 10 minutes cook time. This recipe comes from Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano cookbook.

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: four

Porcini Salad with Arugula

4 large fresh porcini mushrooms
2 bunches of arugula, washed and spun dry (about 3 loose cups)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Coarse sea salt (I leave this out)

1.      Preheat grill or broiler

2.      Carefully cut each mushroom in half and place them on the grill or on a baking sheet under the broiler. Cook, turning often until charred and softened (8-10 minutes).

3.      In a large bowl place the arugula, ¼ cup of the olive oil, the lemon zest and juice. Divide into four separate plates.

4.      Remove hot mushrooms from the grill (or broiler) and place on arugula. Shave the parmigiano on each salad and spoon the remaining olive oil over the salad. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.

*Some changes that I make: I mix the dressing on the side with the olive oil, zest, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Then I toss the dressing with the arugula before adding the mushrooms. I also leave out the sea salt.

A great salad that will definitely be a repeat for us! Thanks to Mario Batali for sharing this one!

Reference:

Batali, M. (2005). Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian recipes to cook at home. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.