Botanical: Boletus mirabilis

Description: Cap 5 to 15 cm across, convex to flattened, margin inrolled; vinaceous, dark to reddish violet brown when young, fading to brown to dark brown; moist to soon dry, woolly or even squamulose. Pores yellow-white to olive-yellow; depressed around stem; not staining or staining slightly darker yellow when bruised. Stem 80 to 150 x 35 to 50mm; bulbous to club shaped; dry; dark to reddish brown with darker striations. Flesh firm; white, yellow with grayish red streaks in stem. Odor and taste pleasant. Spore print olive-brown.

Habitat: On or near logs or woody debris of fir, hemlock or western red cedar, September to December.

Primary Keys: Bolete round pores; red/brown velvety cap; yellow pores not staining blue; dark reddish-brown stem with streaks; grows on wood.

Edibility: Good. It has a slight lemony note under a mild bolete flavor.

Notes: This distinctive and common bolete is easy to identify. B. chrysenteron has a lighter cracked cap, while B. zelleri has a more red cap. Both have more yellow in the stem with fewer if any striations, the pores typically stain blue, sometimes slowly, and they are terrestrial, not wood-lovers. All are frequently attacked by the white-to-yellow cottony Hypomyces chrysospermus, a cousin to the Lobster Mushroom. B. mirabilis — like other boletes — is an excellent mushroom for drying. And like other boletes, beware of worms!

Prawn & Mushroom Linguine

2 oz. dried Boletus mirabilis, soaked in warm water and squeezed dry
1 lb. shelled and deveined prawns
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of one medium lemon
4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. fresh thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. minced Italian parsley
12 oz. package linguine

• Cook the linguine in plenty of well-salted boiling water.
• Pre-heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.
• Saute the garlic for 30 seconds in 2T. olive oil.
• Add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, lemon zest and juice, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the cooked linguine, parsley and remaining olive oil.
• Toss over heat for 30 seconds and serve.