Porcini Mushroom Pâté with Truffles – Paté di Porcini Tartufati – 50 g

Porcini mushroom paste with truffles by Vitelium. Wild mushrooms, summer truffles and cloves in a sample jar.

Porcini mushroom paste with truffles is called Paté di Porcini Tartufati in Italy. Vitelium mixes 69 percent porcini mushrooms with five percent summer truffles, olive oil, bay leaf and cloves in the 50-g jar. No liver paste, no cream sauce, no truffle oil.

Porcini mushroom paste with truffles is a plant-based seasoning paste by Vitelium made from finely chopped porcini mushrooms and summer truffles. Hot, it serves as a sauce base; cold, as a spread. Dried porcini mushrooms must soak for half an hour, while fresh ones are only available in late summer and autumn.

The paste skips both hurdles: open the jar, add a spoonful, and the mushroom aroma is instantly there. The 50-g jar is enough for two to three dishes. This way, you can find out whether the savory touch of bay leaf and cloves suits your cuisine.

Forest floor, roasted notes and a hint of clove

The paste tastes meaty and deeply of porcini mushrooms, complemented by an earthy truffle note and a warm spice tone. Porcini mushrooms naturally bring a lot of umami, that savory basic flavor also known from aged cheese or meat broth. This is why the paste tastes richer than its purely plant-based ingredients might suggest.

The label says "Boletus edulis and related species". Under the name porcini mushroom, the trade groups together several close relatives: the fir porcini mushroom, the pine porcini mushroom, the summer porcini mushroom and the dark bronze bolete. In terms of flavor, they are close together; all are nutty and firm to bite.

The summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) is considered one of the mildest edible truffles, and an added aroma enhances its note. Bay leaf and cloves provide a warmth reminiscent of braised dishes. For people who do not like cloves in food, the paste is not suitable, as the spice is clearly noticeable.

From soft polenta to pan sauce

One heaped tablespoon per person is enough in most dishes. For pasta, stir it smooth with a small ladle of pasta water and a knob of butter, then fold in rigatoni or penne. The ridges of the short pasta hold the mushroom pieces firmly.

In the mountain cuisine of the Apennines, soft polenta is an everyday dish. One tablespoon of paste, stirred in just before serving, turns it into a full-flavored side dish for braised meat. For a frittata made with four eggs, two teaspoons in the egg mixture are enough.

After frying a veal cutlet, deglaze the pan with a splash of cream and stir in one teaspoon of paste. Cold, it works thinly on toasted rustic bread with some flat-leaf parsley or on halved, grilled mushrooms. Since it contains 1.4 grams of salt per 100 grams, season only after stirring it in.

Our tip: Cut leftover polenta into slices, fry until crispy in the pan, and spread with the paste. This makes an aperitivo snack that does not require bread at all. With Parmesan shavings on top, however, it is no longer vegan.

Mushrooms and truffles from the same Apennine forests

Porcini mushrooms and truffles live in symbiosis with the roots of forest trees, often in the same oak and beech forests. Biology calls this partnership mycorrhiza: the mushroom provides water and minerals, the tree sugar. In Molise, these forests reach up into the heights of the Apennines, and the porcini mushrooms and truffles in this paste come from the region.

It is produced in Provvidenti, one of the smallest municipalities in the country. In antiquity, the town served the Samnites and their ally Hannibal as a fortress and granary against Rome. Today, the PhD plant biologist Davide Petrollino oversees cultivation and production there.

Angelo, a truffle hunter friend from Molise, searches for the truffles with dogs he trains himself. The paste is bound with Vitelium's own extra virgin olive oil. The company is run by Constanze Engelbrecht in Hamburg, where the GmbH is also based.

A sample jar for mushroom lovers and autumn cooks

As a gift, the small jar is suitable for mushroom foragers and for everyone who brings game to the table in autumn. In two or three dishes, it shows how far the paste goes. Those who regularly reach for it afterwards will find the porcini mushroom paste in the 90-g jar as a pantry size.

Those looking for a milder seasoning without cloves should try the mushroom truffle pesto in the same format. Both jars side by side show well how differently porcini mushrooms and cultivated mushrooms taste.

For guests, a small tasting is worth it: two small bowls, toasted white bread, and a glass of dry white wine. The porcini mushroom paste appears darker and more savory next to it, the Tartufata lighter and more mushroom-like. This way, everyone at the table learns which type of truffle seasoning suits them.

A spoonful of forest floor for pasta, polenta, and egg. The small jar of Paté di Porcini Tartufati brings porcini mushrooms and truffles into your kitchen, even far from the mushroom season.