flipSalted forest mushrooms (griby solyonye)
Salted forest mushrooms (griby solyonye)
Why this dish? Around Peredelkino stretched woods and forests; mushroom picking in autumn, then salting them for winter, is an immemorial Russian rite. These salted mushrooms joined the dacha table as *zakuska*, to nibble with black bread — the preserve of garden and forest, faithful to the simplicity of his food.
Forest mushrooms (porcini, milk caps, chanterelles) cold-salted in layers with dill, garlic and blackcurrant leaves, which ferment gently and keep all winter; they are served drained, perked up with onion and a drizzle of oil.
When autumn came, we went to the woods with a basket on our arm, and the forest gave back in mushrooms what we gave it in patience. At home, we arranged them in layers in the barrel, coarse salt, dill, a blackcurrant leaf, and a clean stone on top to weigh them down. Three weeks of silence in the cellar, and winter is tamed: you take them out firm and fragrant, with a little raw onion. On a slice of black bread, it's the whole forest coming back to the table.
- •Forest mushrooms (milk caps, porcini, chanterelles) — a large basket (base)
- •Coarse salt — about 4-5% of weight (salting and preservation)
- •Dill (stalks and umbels) — several branches (aroma)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aroma)
- •Blackcurrant and horseradish leaves — a few (texture and crunch)
Salted forest mushrooms (griby solyonye)
Forest mushrooms (porcini, milk caps, chanterelles) cold-salted in layers with dill, garlic and blackcurrant leaves, which ferment gently and keep all winter; they are served drained, perked up with onion and a drizzle of oil.
Why this dish? Around Peredelkino stretched woods and forests; mushroom picking in autumn, then salting them for winter, is an immemorial Russian rite. These salted mushrooms joined the dacha table as *zakuska*, to nibble with black bread — the preserve of garden and forest, faithful to the simplicity of his food.
When autumn came, we went to the woods with a basket on our arm, and the forest gave back in mushrooms what we gave it in patience. At home, we arranged them in layers in the barrel, coarse salt, dill, a blackcurrant leaf, and a clean stone on top to weigh them down. Three weeks of silence in the cellar, and winter is tamed: you take them out firm and fragrant, with a little raw onion. On a slice of black bread, it's the whole forest coming back to the table.
Ingredients (period version)
- Forest mushrooms (milk caps, porcini, chanterelles) — a large basket (base)
- Coarse salt — about 4-5% of weight (salting and preservation)
- Dill (stalks and umbels) — several branches (aroma)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aroma)
- Blackcurrant and horseradish leaves — a few (texture and crunch)
Ingredients
- Firm mushrooms (porcini, chanterelles, or failing that, oyster/brown mushrooms) — 1 kg (base)
- Coarse non-iodized salt — 40-50 g (salting)
- Dill — 1 bunch (aroma)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (aroma)
- Blackcurrant leaves — 5-6 (or 1 tsp juniper berries) (aroma and texture)
- Onion and sunflower oil — for serving (serving)
Method
- Clean the mushrooms without washing them thoroughly; blanch for 5 min those that require it (milk caps), then drain.
- In a scalded jar or pot, alternate layers of mushrooms and salt, interspersing dill, garlic and blackcurrant leaves.
- Press down, cover with a clean weight so that the natural brine covers everything; close loosely.
- Let ferment for 3 weeks in a cool place (cellar or bottom of fridge), checking that the mushrooms remain submerged.
- At serving, rinse if too salty, drain, add sliced onion and a drizzle of oil. Serve cold with black bread.
How it was made : Cold salting in an oak barrel under a stone and horseradish leaves was the great Russian forest preserve before glass jars. Blackcurrant and horseradish leaves kept the mushrooms firm and warded off mold; each family had its barrel at the back of the cellar.
The contemporary twist : Place a few salted mushrooms on a buttered rye bread toast with a little smetana and dill, instant *zakuska* style for an appetizer.
Sources : V. Pokhlebkin, *Национальные кухни наших народов* · Elena Molokhovets, *Подарок молодым хозяйкам*, 1861
Boris Pasternak · Charactorium
