Pickled Porcini Mushrooms for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you pickle porcini mushrooms for winter? Gather your ingredients. Smaller porcini are best for pickling: for one, larger caps are thought to accumulate more impurities; for another, small mushrooms are firm and springy; and third, they simply look prettier in the jar.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash and clean the freshly picked mushrooms. If they're large, cut them into smaller pieces that will fit neatly in the jars.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the mushrooms in a non-reactive pot, cover with cold clean water, add a tablespoon of salt, and set it over the heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mushrooms for about 15 minutes. Drain.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cover the mushrooms with a fresh batch of water and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Drain and let them sit in a colander until all the liquid has run off.

5. Step 5:

   

   Meanwhile, make the brine. Pour filtered water into a pot and add the sugar and salt. When it boils, add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic cloves for extra flavor, and boil for about 5 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the porcini to the brine, simmer them for about 5 minutes, then pour in the vinegar. Bring it back to a boil and turn off the heat.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pack the mushrooms into jars you've washed with a baking-soda solution and sterilized, then pour in the remaining brine up to the shoulders of the jars, making sure it fully covers the mushrooms. Set the jars in a pot filled with hot water — be sure to line the bottom with a cloth so the glass doesn't crack from the heat.

8. Step 8:

   

   Process the jars (1-pint / 0.5-liter) of mushrooms for about 10 minutes from the time the water in the pot boils. Seal the jars with sterilized lids and let them cool to room temperature under a blanket. Your pickled mushrooms for winter are ready. Use them in main dishes, soups, pies, pizza, and sauces. Enjoy!