Today, I’m sharing how to cook King Oyster mushrooms—known as Cardoncelli in Italy—the authentic way: a simple recipe using just olive oil, the unmissable garlic clove, and fresh parsley.
Why Italians love mushrooms
Italians have a thing for mushrooms.
When fall comes, they start hunting them.
I’ve accompanied my father and a few friends several times through the woods, especially in the lands north of Rome – the Tuscia area – to find those tiny earthy treasures and then grill them in an open fireplace. Hunting mushrooms is risky, and one should do so only with the assistance of a licensed hunter or take your basket to a local health unit for an expert to analyze the mushrooms and determine their edibility. But none of this was done back in the day. Cooking and devouring your hunted mushrooms was instead fun and satisfying in a way modern times have reneged.
Today, I still occasionally go on foraging trips with a friend who’s training to become a licensed mushroom expert in search of Porcini – the more precious and also more easily recognizable mushrooms.
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How Italians Use and Cook Mushrooms
In Italian cuisine, mushrooms are incredibly versatile: sometimes we grill them, other times, we pair them with creamy polenta, or toss them with pasta, or use them as a topping for rustic crostini.
For us, the best herbs to complement mushrooms are parsley, mint, rosemary, and thyme.
When not foraged, we get our fresh mushrooms at Italian greengrocers or markets (also at supermarkets but inside sad plastic trays, wrapped in more plastic).
Pioppini and Cardoncelli are among the most commonly available varieties in Rome, following Champignons that we even find already sliced – and are my favourite pizza topping!
One day, after enjoying a particularly delicious plate of sautéed Cardoncelli, I knew I had to share how to cook King Oyster mushrooms the Italian way.
King Oyster mushrooms (Cardoncelli) the Italian way
Ingredients
- 8.8 oz King Oyster or Cardoncelli mushrooms 250 gr
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- sea salt
Instructions
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Clean the King Oyster/Cardoncelli mushrooms from eventual dirt. Usually, this is done by scraping the end of the stem with a sharp knife and brushing the rest shortly under cold water.
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Slice the King Oyster mushrooms transversely, more or less half an inch per slice. Of course, the more uniformly sized the bites, the easier the cooking will be because they will all be ready at the same time.
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With the blade of a large knife flat on it, crush the garlic clove by pressing your lower palm - no need to peel it - and transfer it to a medium pan with one or two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Turn on the heat on medium and brown the garlic for up to 5 minutes until golden.
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Discard the garlic and add the King Oyster/Cardoncelli mushrooms and the chopped parsley. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. I usually cook them covered and then check: if they are very watery, I uncover the pan midway for the juices to dry up a bit.
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Serve hot immediately or at room temperature later.
Enjoy your delicious, humble, nutritious Cardoncelli cookies!
Claudia