Porcini – seasonal eating at its best

We make no excuses for the second article this week about porcini mushrooms. It is now possible in most western industrialised countries to consume all types of food right through the year – a dish of fresh strawberries on the Christmas table is no longer out of the question for many European families for instance but here in Barga seasonal eating is still the norm.

Freshly picked porcini mushrooms are one of the foods that defy this 12 months a year availability and is closely tied to the seasons, weather and in many cases – luck.

These porcini mushrooms were picked high up above Barga and brought directly down into Barga Vecchia to be weighed on the scales at Aristodemo Casciani’s bar.

The lucky clients of Riccardo at L’Osteria in Piazza Angelio (site here) will be enjoying pasta with a porcini ragu this week but for those sitting at the tables outside Aristo’s bar (site here) there was another treat in store. Three or four porcini mushrooms were thinly sliced and laid out on a plate ( never mind that the plate was plastic ) Trickled over the delicate pieces was a quickly prepared vinaigrette made from good quality virgin olive oil, the juice of a lemon, some salt and pepper and the chopped up leaves of some freshly picked niepitella. The plate was handed round cleared in seconds as people enjoyed the first raw porcini of the season.

Niepitella or Nepitella (Calamintha nepeta) – Lesser calamint. Famous as a culinary herb in Tuscany and Umbria, where it’s unusal minty flavor is a distinctive addition to the regional cuisine. Nepitella is a beautiful perennial for the herbal border forming a compact mound of shiny , green oregano-like leaves which become covered with lavender blue flowers to a height of 18 inches. Originating from Southern Europe, this plant was used medicinally during Medieval Times as a digestive aid.