Simple Wild Mushroom Sauce

This wild mushrooms sauce is made using dried wild mushrooms, stock, flour and a small amount of cream as well as sour cream. It has a rich and delicious mushroom flavour, creamy consistency and not too many calories. It is versatile and simple to make, perfect with meat, poultry and pasta.  

See also mushroom sauce with sour cream!

This wild mushroom sauce (‘sos grzybowy’ in Polish, pron. ‘gzhy-BO-vy’) comes together in a few simple steps. Once you’ve prepared the wild mushrooms the sauce takes minutes to cook. To save time you can prepare the mushrooms in advance then make the sauce the following day.

Wild mushrooms are a popular ingredient in East European cooking and an essential part of traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal. They are often used to add depth of flavour to everyday dishes, such as barley soup or sauerkraut stew. Because of their intense flavour they also work incredibly well as a star ingredient, perfect to celebrate in a rich and delicious sauce!

How to prepare the wild mushrooms

Dried wild mushrooms need to be rinsed then soaked for 30 minutes to rehydrate them before cooking. Make sure you get rid of any grit, bits of grass etc. by rubbing the mushrooms with your fingertips (see Instructions for detail). Soaking the mushrooms in water softens them and reduces cooking time.

The mushroom water is full of flavour, which is used as the basis for this creamy sauce so it is important not to discard it.

Wild mushroom sauce ingredients and substitutions

• Wild mushrooms: You can use a selection of dried wild mushrooms or just porcini mushrooms.
• Garlic: I used one clove for a hint of garlic, but you can use more for a more intense garlicky flavour.
• Water: Used for soaking as well as cooking the mushrooms – it is important that you do not get rid of it after straining the mushrooms!
• Vegetable stock.
• Butter: Frying cooked wild mushrooms in a little butter enhances their flavour.
• Flour: Used to thicken the sauce.
• Sour cream: Add creaminess and a hint of acidity to the sauce (see also my sour cream sauce recipe).
• Cream: Adds creaminess and a little sweetness. Use half-and-half/single cream or heavy cream if preferred.
• Salt and pepper: add to taste. Use either white or black pepper.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Rinse wild mushrooms: Place the wild mushrooms in a bowl, add a little water then rub the mushrooms with your fingertips to remove any grit. Change the water and repeat this process.

2. Soak mushrooms: Place the mushrooms in a saucepan, add 1 cup of fresh cold water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

3. Cook mushrooms: Cover and bring to the boil (using the water the mushrooms soaked in) then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender and fully cooked. Remove from the heat and strain thoroughly reserving the water.

• TIP: Some types of mushrooms may require longer cooking times.

4. Fry mushrooms: Finely chop the mushrooms. Melt the butter, add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat stirring often. Towards the end of cooking add the garlic. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Make sauce: In a saucepan combine the stock and mushroom water and bring to the boil. Meanwhile in a bowl whisk together the flour, cold water, cream and sour cream until perfectly smooth. Add 3 tablespoons of the hot stock mixture whisking in after every addition. Then pour the mixture into the saucepan whisking in until thoroughly incorporated.

6. Add wild mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and continue cooking the sauce until it starts bubbling then lower the heat and cook for another minute whisking often. Remove from the heat, season to taste and serve.

How to serve creamy sauce with wild mushrooms

• Over pasta: Enjoy with linguine, tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta. Add some of the pasta water to loosen the consistency, if required.
• With meat: such as pork chops, pan-fried chicken or turkey.
• With cabbage rolls: perfect to pour over both traditional Polish and vegetarian cabbage rolls.
• With meatballs or Polish kotlety.
• With potato dishes, such as potato dumplings, Polish potato pancakes or potato zucchini fritters.

How to adjust the consistency of forest mushroom sauce

For a runnier consistency you can either add a little water or stock once the sauce is cooked or use less flour.

You can also thicken the sauce once it’s cooked. Simply dissolve another tablespoon of flour in 1-2 tablespoons of cold water, then add to the sauce as it’s cooking as in Step 5 above (not forgetting to temper the mixture with a small amount of the hot sauce).

Optional ingredients you can use

• Pinch of dried thyme or rosemary
• Freshly chopped parsley (2 tablespoons), added towards the end of cooking

Top tips

• Clean the dried mushrooms thoroughly before soaking and cooking.
• You can prepare the mushrooms in advance, cover and refrigerate overnight and make the sauce the following day.
• Make sure the flour mixture is perfectly smooth before adding into the sauce.
• Best served hot.
• Storing: Once cooled this wild mushroom sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 days. It will thicken as it cools so you may need to add a splash of water (and adjust the seasoning) to loosen the consistency when reheating it.
• Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

More wild mushroom recipes to try next

• Polish Porcini Mushroom Dumplings
• Polish Mushroom Soup
• Sauerkraut with Mushrooms

See also these other delicious side recipes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this simple wild mushroom sauce I'd love to know how it turned out and how you served it! Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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