Cardoncelli mushrooms (Pleurotus Eryngii) are immediately recognizable not only for their flavor but also for their shape. In fact, they are always found in brown stumps composed of many mushrooms of various sizes. They are native to the Mediterranean areas, such as North Africa, the Middle East and southern Italy, but today they are cultivated and are available in supermarkets.
The Romans appreciated them and the poet Horace used to eat them in his trip in southern Italy and he called them 'the food of the Gods'. Their use dates back at least to the Middle Ages when they were considered such a powerful aphrodisiac that they were banned by the Holy Office, and it seems that their name recalls this property. Instead, the scientific name of Pleurotus Eryngii means ‘oblique oyster’ because the mushroom grows 'crooked' and the cap resembles the shape of the oyster.
Today we make cardoncelli in an original way in a bean soup.
Recipe for black-eyed peas, tagliolini and cardoncelli mushrooms soup
Soak the black-eyed peas the night before, then boil them and be careful because they will cook quite quickly thanks to their thin skin.
Prepare a mixture of celery, carrots and onion: brown it and add the beans. Let it all flavour and then add some vegetable broth or hot water.
In the meantime, clean the cardoncelli mushrooms, cut them and sauté them in a pan with garlic, oil and chilli pepper.
Make some egg pasta that we will cut into thin tagliolini, add the mushrooms to the bean soup. Shortly after, we will add the pasta that will cook quickly. At this point the dish is ready and just place it in a deep dish and add a finely chopped parsley.
In the glass I chose a classic red based on Sangiovese, typical of Tuscany or Emilia Romagna but grown throughout Italy, or a Bonarda. I would just like to point out that my friends at Donna Vittori also grow Sangiovese and bottle it under the name Clea, dedicated to the German Shepherd dog, the vineyard's mascot.
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