I found these babies on Tuesday.
They might be Orange Birch Bolete, but I’m not sure, since there are some other fungi that look very similar. Anyway they’re part of Leccinum genus, and all the similar looking species taste good so it doesn’t matter if don’t recognise them exactly. It’s enough that I know it’s one of the similar-looking-boletes. If there were a chance to confuse them with inedible or poisonous mushrooms, I wouldn’t pick them.
Wednesday I used them to make pasta sauce. Orange Birch Boletes (and the others who look like them) must always be cooked well, otherwise they can cause stomach ache. So no quick frying for them. They also turn black when cooked, so tomato sauce is better for them than creamy sauce. I had Orange Birch Bolete, but you can also use the recipe with other forest mushrooms or cultivated mushrooms.
Orange Birch Bolete Pasta
whole grain fusilli or other pasta
1,5 l cleaned and coarsely chopped Orange Birch Bolete
2 tbsp oil
1 onion
3 big garlic cloves
1 glass red wine (optional)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1-2 dl water
salt
pinch of white pepper
small bunch of fresh basil (about 4 tbsp chopped)
Sauté the boletes in a dry pan until the excess water comes out. Discard the water or keep sautéing until it’s evaporated. Add oil and chopped onion and sauté few more minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté couple of minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, water and wine and bring to boil. Simmer covered at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook the pasta according the instructions on the package. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and fresh basil and mix with pasta.
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