Porcini Mushroom

With its use of dried porcini in the turkey rub and fresh shiitakes in the light gravy, this recipe from the late food writer Michael McLaughlin is a fine example of his signature style: deeply flavorful seasonal cooking. You can make the turkey stock for the gravy up to two days ahead.

The porcini mushroom soaking liquid moistens this stuffing from Rochelle Palermo Torres.

Traditionally, this flavorful sauté would be composed entirely of fresh cèpes (we know them better by their Italian name, porcini) gathered from the forests around Bordeaux. In this recipe, dried porcini mushrooms are supplemented with fresh large button mushrooms.

Robust ingredients and an elegant presentation: This dish captures all the romance of winter fireside dining. Break out a bottle of good Chianti to pour with supper.

Though you may associate bocconcini with the tiny mozzarella balls sold at Italian markets and cheese shops, the word simply means "little bites" (the veal in this stew is cut into bite-size pieces). When purchasing dried porcini, look for packages containing large, flat, recognizable slices of the mushroom. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

A rich, earthy first course or side dish.

One of the best-loved pastas in the Italian city of Trieste is the whole wheat spaghetti known as bigoli, which is often topped with anitra in sugo, an intensely flavored sauce made with duck. This recipe, from the excellent restaurant Hosteria Bellavista, also includes chicken livers, porcini mushrooms and pancetta (Italian bacon). Porcini mushrooms and bigoli are available at Italian markets and specialty foods stores.

Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

Porcini mushrooms smooth out the intense flavors of this traditional sauce of tomatoes, olives, anchovies and capers. Although puttanesca sauce is typically served with penne or spaghetti, fusilli holds the sauce better.

Cèpe is the French name (porcini is the Italian name) for the boletus mushroom, which grows in the southwest. Dried cèpes are not readily available here, so we use dried porcini.

Orzo—rice shaped pasta—is easier to find than Arborio rice (the traditional ingredient in risotto) and makes a delicious risotto-style side dish.

This hearty winter entrée can be prepared several days ahead. Veal brisket is the boned veal breast. If you don't have a roasting pan large enough to hold both briskets, divide the ingredients in half and bake in two pans. If the veal is difficult to find, substitute one 5-pound flat-cut beef brisket and roast until tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Leftovers freeze well and make great sandwiches.

Rick Rodgers, cookbook author and teacher, says, "When planning my holiday menu, I'm always sure to include a green vegetable for its bright color and clean flavor, and this year that vegetable is going to be broccoli. But it's not enough to serve it plain or too simply, because that's not what a big-time food fest like Thanksgiving is all about. So I decided to add a luxury ingredient—porcini mushrooms. Now that makes an ordinary vegetable extraordinary."

Hazelnuts and wild mushrooms - popular ingredients from Oregon and Washington - add terrific flavor and texture to this sophisticated stuffing.

Beurre composé, or compound butter—butter creamed with various flavorings—is a classic French accompaniment, used to top anything from broiled steak or fish to steamed vegetables. Compound butter can be frozen and a few slices cut off whenever the need arises.

Delicious served with bread or crackers, these cheeses are also a wonderful addition to pizzas, pastas and salads.

Traditional potato latkes are spiced up with hot paprika and enhanced with earthy porcini mushrooms. They are especially good with roasted meats, poultry, or fish. This recipe will serve four to five as a side dish.