Porcinis gathered by Benjamin Maleson

I’ve been on a writing hiatus while my husband recuperates from a knee replacement. Not a hiatus from cooking — that I’ve been doing regularly. (One bit of advice — major knee surgery is a very good appetite suppressant for the patient, and not good at all for the home nurse. Maybe that’s because I’m a much better cook than nurse. Anyway, I digress.)

Right before Steve had surgery, I ran into the mushroom man on Hanover in the North End. As any restaurant chef knows, that’s Bernard Maleson, forager extraordinaire, who provides wild funghi to many restaurants all over Boston. He works out of his car, so if you see a small stationwagon with lots and lots of mushrooms in it, and a man with a long beard, long hair and the look of having just appeared from under the forest canopy, you may be meeting up with the Mushroom Man.

That day, Benjamin was delivering to his regular customers and also selling porcinis and morels that he had just gathered. I bought a couple of huge porcinis (in photo above).Then I walked around to Salem Street to Mercato del Mare and bought halibut. The dish I made was simple: I sliced the porcinis, sauteed them in good olive oil  (Frantoia from Salumeria Italiana),  a little butter, and chopped, fresh garlic, and then added lots of parsley and a touch of balsamic vinegar to finish. The porcinis went on top of halibut, into a very hot oven, with a splash of white wine in the baking pan. About 25 minutes the fish was perfect, and the perfume of the dish filled the house. 

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen Benjamin and his mushrooms. I wonder what he’s found lately?