Mushroom and truffle recipes

Mushrooms stuffed with wine-soaked sausage / Polenta topped with mushrooms / Scrambled duck eggs on toast with Alba white truffles / Wild Mushroom Lasagne / Wild mushroom bruschetta topped with taleggio cheese / Grilled mushroom risotto made with fresh chicken stock / Mushroom tarts / Flat-cap mushroom soup / Mushroom bulgur / Mushroom pilaf with spinach / Chicken, spinach and mushroom pie

Food from the Piedmonte region of north-west Italy can only be described as unpretentious. And, in keeping with the rest of the country, the focus of Piedmontese cooking rests on the use of good-quality, seasonal, wholesome ingredients.

In fact it was in Bra, Piedmonte, that Italian Carlo Petrini began the 'slow food movement'; that is, a belief that food should taste good, be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health, and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

With an abundance of game, earthy vegetables and roots, the mountainous land of Piedmonte, Carluccio's final focus region in its authentic taste of Italy tour, is a haven for maximising this kind of food production.

Seasonally, however, it is the time of the mushroom and the region is abound with fungi. In Piedmonte's mountainous forests many different varieties reside, but porcini mushrooms are especiallly easy to source.

According to Carluccio's food expert Valentina Daprile, foraging in forests for the earthy morsels can be very satisfying but it can also be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are looking for.

"It is essential that you go with a guide or an expert. Mushroom collection is fun but certainly not something for novices as it is crucial you know what to look for," she said.

Mushrooms are generally found in two places: in woods and under trees (particularly varieties such as ceps, chanterelles and trompettes de la mort) or in grassland (field mushrooms such as parasols and puffballs).

Fungi do not like to fight their way through tall grass so you are more likely to find them in paddocks where animals graze. However, the real gourmet fungi will come from woods. Keep a look out for beech, oak and pine trees as you are more likely to find a variety of mushrooms among their trunks.

Another type of fungi, more delicate, difficult to find and as a result much more expensive, is the truffle.

Piedmonte's regional treasure is the white Alba truffle, a delicacy Daprile says has sold for more than £3,000 a kilo. "It is much sought after and used in many Piedmontese dishes as the locals pronounce it arguably the best tasting truffle in the world," she said.

Irregular in shape and of varying size, truffles have been used in European foods and as medicine since Greek and Roman times. They are harvested with the aid of female pigs or truffle dogs, which are able to detect the strong smell of mature truffles below the ground's surface. Some truffle merchants dig for their prizes themselves when they see truffle flies hovering around the base of a tree. Once discovered, truffles can be collected in subsequent years at the same site.

Daprile said a truffle's flavour is directly related to its aroma.

"The chemicals necessary for odours to develop are created only after the spores are mature enough for release, so they must be collected at the proper time or they will have little taste," she said.

"The best way to sample truffles is to eat fresh, uncooked specimens shortly after they have been harvested. The strength of the truffle flavour decreases rapidly with time, and as a result much of it is lost before most truffles reach their final destinations."

Once harvested Alba truffles are said to last a maximum of one week or two weeks for black truffles.

Handling mushrooms

How to select them: fresh mushrooms have a smooth dry and uniform surface. They should smell fresh and earthy. If bruised or soft discard them. For a delicate flavour look for a closed veil - the area under the cap of the mushroom - for a robust flavour look for an open one.

How to clean them: mushrooms should not be washed because they are like sponges and will absorb water, which is later released during cooking. Just brush off the dirt or use a dump cloth. Do not peel the skin back, most of the flavour is there.

How to store them: store in a paper bag or in a basket with a cloth over them. Avoid plastic bags. Keep them in the fridge. If stored properly they last up to a week from the date of purchase, depending on how fresh they are when you buy them.

How to prep them: remove the stalk do not peel. Mushroom do not freeze well, but if you have to, cook them first and store them in an air tight container for up to one month.

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