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The dish
Going mushrooming in Abruzzo
A walk in the countryside and a basket of «safe» mushrooms.
Abruzzo has a huge variety of mushrooms, and «going mushrooming» is a lovely pastime: it is a chance for a long walk and, depending on where you are, you can find field mushrooms (prataioli), poplar mushrooms (piopparelli), oyster mushrooms and many more.
For us the best way to enjoy them is with egg pasta: maccheroni alla chitarra or, as in these photos, fettuccine. The secret is the mix: poplar mushrooms stay firm and you can taste the real mushroom, while field mushrooms make a sauce that coats the pasta perfectly.
What you need
Ingredients
Serves 4; the sauce is made «by eye».
For the pasta
- 4 eggs
- About 400 g durum wheat semolina
- A pinch of salt
For the sauce
- 500–600 g mixed mushrooms (poplar and field mushrooms)
- Extra virgin olive oil, generously
- 2–3 garlic cloves
- ½ glass white wine
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
Step by step
Method
- Make the egg pasta and cut it into fettuccine (the method is in the pasta alla chitarra recipe).
- Clean the mushrooms well and cut them into pieces.
- Put plenty of oil and garlic in a pan; when the garlic is golden add the mushrooms and fry them for a minute.
- Add the white wine and let it evaporate, so its flavour does not overpower the mushrooms.
- Cover and cook slowly over a low heat for a long time, adding a little water if needed: this is the secret to blending the flavours.
- Finally add salt, pepper and parsley.
- Cook the fettuccine in plenty of salted water and toss them in the pan with the mushrooms for a couple of minutes.
From our home kitchen
Tips
- Do not wash the mushrooms under running water for long: wipe off the soil with a cloth or small knife and rinse them quickly.
- Long, slow cooking is the secret: the mushrooms must release all their flavour.
- With shop-bought mushrooms, choose poplar (pioppini) and button mushrooms: the result is similar.
- An Abruzzo white wine such as Trebbiano goes well with the dish.
Safety: only pick mushrooms you can identify with absolute certainty and, if in doubt, have them checked free of charge by the local health authority’s mycology service (Ispettorato micologico ASL) before eating them. In Abruzzo picking requires a permit and has quantity limits.
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Tradition
History and trivia
The poplar mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita, «pioppino») grows on the trunks and stumps of poplars and willows; the field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) appears in meadows after the rains of late summer and autumn.
Mushroom picking is an old tradition in Abruzzo families, who pass down the best spots like a secret.
Did you know? «mushroom spots» are never revealed, not even to your closest friends: in many families they are handed down from one generation to the next.