Boletus Toast With Caramelized Onion

Fall is the mushroom season par excellence. However, in addition to sautéed with garlic and ham, how can we eat them? Here we present several recipes to make a boletus toast with caramelized onion.

Observation on mushrooms

A word of advice regarding mushrooms: if you are not an expert, do not go to the field to pick them. Not all of them are edible, some are hallucinogenic and others are toxic to humans, to the point of causing death.

If you are not one hundred percent sure that a mushroom is edible, better go buy them at a greengrocer, where you will have more guarantees.

For those who are not familiar with the boletus edulis,  we will tell you that it is an uncomplicated mushroom, easy to recognize and that does not raise doubts about whether it will be edible or not.

The name Boletus comes from Latin and simply means mushroom, any mushroom. So boletus edulis simply means edible mushroom.

Until recently, mushrooms were more appreciated in Catalonia, the Basque Country and the Soria area than in the rest of Spain. In these regions they have a greater tradition, both in knowledge and protection of them.

Recently the fear of the world of mushrooms has begun to lose, a greater knowledge and more information, with courses and outings to the mountains, have made this hobby a world full of good experiences, such as this toast, impressive with a beer craftswoman. Enjoy it!

That said, let’s go with the recipes.

Boletus and caramelized onion toast

Ingredients

For the caramelized onion:

• 1 kg of onions
• 70 ml of extra virgin oil
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 generous pinch of salt

For the toasts:

• 4 medium size boletus edulis (10-15cm)
• Bread to make toasts or whatever you prefer to toast
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• Maldon salt (for the final touch) and fine salt to taste.

Process

How to prepare caramelized onion?

1. Peel the onion and cut it into julienne strips, not too thin.
2. Put the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan so that it covers the entire bottom.
3. With medium heat (never high), poach the onion. The oil should not be too hot so that the onion does not burn or take color.
4. Stir well with a wooden spoon, so that all the onion is in contact with the oil.
5. Lower the heat and let it cook little by little for 30 or 40 minutes, keeping an eye on it at all times so that it does not burn.
6. After the onions begin to shrink and become transparent, they will take on a soft golden color. It is important to stir so that they do not burn and everything is done evenly. After a few minutes, the onions start to turn brown.
7. Once the size is reduced, add two tablespoons of water and stir. In this way, the mixture will acquire a creamier texture.
8. As soon as the onion goes from light golden brown to the typical toasted caramelized onion, a pinch of salt is added and it is removed from the heat.

Preparation of the boletus toasts

1. Peel the trunk of the mushrooms a little. If after scraping they still have dirt, clean them with water. When mushrooms have ugly, soft or hollow parts, they must be removed with a knife. The same happens when the hat has a yellow sponge. If the hat is white, they are ready to cook.
2. Make a horizontal cut in the boletus and laminate them.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, fry a few slices of garlic with a little oil.
4. As soon as the garlic is browned, add the mushroom slices and a pinch of salt.
5. Sauté until the mushrooms have elasticity and a slight hazel tone.
6. Remove the mushrooms and toast the bread in the same oil as the boletus (so that it takes the garlic).
7. Assemble the toasts by placing a little caramelized onion on the bread, the boletus on top and sprinkle with a few crystals of Maldon salt.

What do you think of this boletus toast with caramelized onion? Simply delicious.