Bolete, Porcino (Porcini, Plural), Cep, Cèpe

Oh for the day when these firm, piny-earthy treasures are cultivated! Or at least when they are treated with the respect due such magical creations, as they are in a good part of Europe. In Italy, for example, when porcini (por-CHEE-nee) are gathered, they are fêted and honored in restaurants, served gloriously alone as a main course, cooked with nothing other than limpid olive oil (and optional garlic and parsley). The pale, meaty but silken flesh—filet mignon-like in texture, but with considerably more character and pungency—speaks eloquently for itself.