Make Bucovina hribi cu smântână: porcini cooked in butter with dill and sour cream, bound with eggs and baked until golden.
Hribi cu smântânăFresh porcini softened in butter meet sour cream, eggs and dill in a simple Bucovina preparation baked until golden and served warm with mămăligă.
In the Bucovina region of northern Romania, hribi cu smântână brings the earthy flavor of porcini together with dairy, eggs and dill. The name means porcini with sour cream, but the documented preparation is more than a quick pan sauce: the softened mushrooms are combined with an egg and sour-cream mixture and finished in the oven. The top turns lightly golden while the center sets into a tender, spoonable casserole.
Regional recipes describe a practical home dish rather than a single regulated formula. The version used here follows a Bucovina account listing one kilogram of porcini, butter, a glass of sour cream, four eggs, chopped dill and salt. A second Romanian account confirms the same central combination and baked finish. The sources leave some measurements open, so this tested-style editorial record defines the glass as 250 ml and gives a usable oven setting and safety endpoint. Those choices make the dish reproducible without claiming every family measures it the same way.
Porcini, also called ceps, have firm stems, broad caps and a deep woodland aroma. Choose fresh mushrooms from a reputable food retailer, with firm flesh and no slimy or damaged areas. This recipe is written for porcini identified and sold as food; it does not ask readers to forage or identify wild mushrooms from photographs. Brush away loose soil and trim the ends. If they need rinsing, do it briefly and dry them well so excess moisture does not dilute the butter and cream.
Cut the cleaned mushrooms into even bite-size pieces so the stems and caps soften at a similar pace. Melt the butter gently in a broad skillet, then add the porcini and cook until they begin to soften. They release moisture as they heat. The regional method adds small splashes of hot water during cooking; add only enough to keep the pan from drying or catching, allowing each addition to cook away before adding more. The source gives no fixed water amount, so the ingredient list intentionally leaves it to need.
The creamy mixture is straightforward: beat the eggs with sour cream, chopped dill and salt, then fold in the cooked mushrooms. A 250 ml measure stands in for the source’s unspecified glass of cream. The four eggs give the mixture structure as it bakes, while sour cream keeps the texture moist and gives it a gentle tang. Use plain cultured sour cream. Salt is listed to taste because the regional accounts do not give a weight and dairy brands vary.
Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish and bake at 180°C / 350°F until the surface is lightly browned and the center has set. The Romanian recipes give a short bake of about 10–15 minutes, but they do not specify an oven setting or an egg temperature. This record estimates 15–20 minutes in a preheated oven and uses 160°F / 71.1°C at the center as the safety endpoint for an egg casserole. Ovens and dish depth differ, so begin checking near the lower end and continue in short intervals if needed.
Serve the casserole warm, with mămăligă alongside as the Bucovina accounts recommend. The polenta is a serving accompaniment and is not included in the ingredient quantities or four-serving yield. Let the dish stand briefly after baking so it settles enough to portion. The browned surface, creamy interior and substantial mushroom pieces make it suitable as a main course with a simple salad or as one part of a larger regional meal.
The recipe is best soon after baking, when the porcini remain distinct and the top is newly golden. Cool leftovers and refrigerate them within two hours in a covered container; use within three to four days. Reheat portions until steaming hot throughout, reaching 74°C / 165°F, and avoid repeated cooling and reheating. The original sources do not describe a make-ahead or freezing method, so the guidance here is limited to safe refrigeration and reheating.
Brush loose soil from the porcini and trim the stem ends. If the mushrooms need rinsing, rinse them briefly and dry thoroughly. Cut caps and stems into even bite-size pieces so they soften at a similar rate. Keep the prepared mushrooms ready beside the stove.
Set a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt gently until it foams, without allowing the milk solids to brown. A moderate heat gives the mushrooms time to soften without scorching the butter.
Add the porcini to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and their moisture releases. Add small splashes of hot water when the pan looks dry or the mushrooms start to catch, letting each splash cook down before adding more. Continue until the pieces are tender; the source does not give a fixed water measure or exact stovetop time.
While the mushrooms cook, beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until blended. Whisk in the sour cream, chopped dill and fine salt to taste. The mixture should be smooth and evenly seasoned. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Take the skillet off the heat once the porcini are tender. Fold them into the egg and sour-cream mixture, including the buttery juices, until evenly coated. Transfer everything to a shallow oven-safe baking dish and spread the mushrooms into an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for an estimated 15–20 minutes, until the edges are set and the top is lightly browned. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center without touching the dish; the egg casserole must reach 160°F / 71.1°C. Continue baking in short intervals if needed. Rest briefly, then serve warm with mămăligă.
Excess rinse water slows browning and dilutes the buttery flavor.
Use only small splashes as the porcini cook; let each one cook away before adding more.
A browned top does not confirm that the egg mixture is safely set; verify 160°F / 71.1°C in the center.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
This baked mushroom dish is at its best freshly made, but leftovers can be refrigerated safely.
Cool leftovers and refrigerate in a covered container within two hours. Use within 3–4 days.
Reheat until steaming hot throughout and to 165°F / 74°C. Avoid repeated cooling and reheating.
Hribi is the Romanian name used here for porcini mushrooms, also known as ceps. Buy them from a reputable food retailer; this recipe does not recommend wild mushroom foraging.
The eggs bind the sour cream and softened porcini as the dish bakes, creating a set casserole rather than a loose pan sauce.
Check the center with an instant-read food thermometer. It must reach 160°F / 71.1°C; keep baking in short intervals if it has not.
It is best served soon after baking. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use within three to four days; reheat thoroughly to 165°F / 74°C.
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