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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes

    Affetati with Mushrooms

    Published: Jun 10, 2017 Modified: Feb 15, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A traditional plate of Italian cured meats, with sliced porcini mushrooms and arugula is a great start to a meal.

    Years ago when I was working at Pazzaluna, I was on the garde manger station making hot and cold apps, salads, and desserts, as well as curating a daily changing selection of antipasti I came up with.

    One of my favorite snacks, and plates to make was the affetati, an Italian platter of cured meats. From my experience, it's Italy's answer to the French assiette without pickled or cooked vegetables. It's basically the original charcuterie platter.

    Here I add some fresh sliced porcini mushrooms, which lighten it and compliment the flavor of the meat.

    a plate of cured meats and sliced mushrooms
    A simple plate of cured meats and shaved porcini.

    Meats to use

    There's a lot of different Italian cured meats you can use. Pick and choose your favorites. Here's a few examples.

    • Speck
    • Mortadella
    • Sliced salami and other fermented sausages
    • It's not traditional, but you can use my Homemade Venison Biltong recipe to cure cuts from beef and other animals
    boletus rex veris or spring porcini
    If the conditions are right in the PNW, I can usually get a shipment of Boletus Rex-Veris, or Spring porcini in May. They rarely have bugs, unlike Midwestern Porcini.

    Other garnishes

    • Fresh arugula or young mustard greens
    • Shavings of parmesan cheese
    • A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
    raw porcini mushrooms and cured meats on a plate
    Raw porcini with mortadella and arugula is fantastic.
    a plate of cured meats and sliced mushrooms
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Porcini Affetati

    An Italian dish of cured meats with raw, seasoned porcini mushrooms.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Salad
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Affetati, Porcini appetizer, Raw Porcini
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • Mandoline or very sharp, thin knife

    Ingredients

    • A fresh perfect porcini, cleaned of any grit and inspected for bugs.
    • A few slices of nice cured meat like prosciutto, mortadella, etc.
    • The best extra virgin olive oil you can find
    • Fresh arugula or another peppery green
    • Crunchy salt like Maldon or Faulk
    • Freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Have the butcher or helper at the meat counter shave the cured meats nice and thin. For some optional texture, mortadella can be cut into small cubes.
    • Arrange a few slices of meat on each plate
    • Slice the porcini into thin ¼ inch slices, then arrange attractively with the meat.
    • Scatter some arugula over the top of everything, then drizzle with olive oil, season with fresh ground pepper, and crumble some salt over the top of everything.
    « Cow Parsnip Blossom Tempura
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. John Smalldridge

      June 15, 2017 at 9:03 am

      Nice! Unfortunately I'll have to wait a couple more months to get my fix.

      Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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