A fantastic vegan antipasti is bruschetta. The combination of flavourful toppings on crunchy bread is so simple yet so good. While bruschetta with tomato is fantastic, there is a season for a special bruschetta I love even more: bruschetta with fresh porcini mushrooms. While being a quite pricey treat, they can very well be worth the investment. High-quality porcini mushrooms on bread are hard-to-beat tastewise, and I recommend trying this recipe if you can get your hands on some good porcini. What I love so much about Italian cuisine as well as this dish, is that it cherishes its ingredients without overcomplicating them. Similar to this fantastic spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino, there is no magic or tricks needed aside from a few high-quality ingredients and cooking them right. I somehow find these dishes extra satisfying to cook and eat!

Ingredients for making Porcini Bruschetta:

Porcini mushrooms
Red onion
Bread of choice
Garlic
Vegan butter substitute
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Firstly, you need some beautiful porcini mushrooms. While the porcini mushrooms are the star, including red onion and garlic brings the dish to the next level. Aside from that, you will need some vegan butter to sauté the ingredients, salt and pepper for seasoning, and a touch of extra virgin olive oil to finish the dish. Also, you will need some tasty bread. I find that sourdough bread with a sturdy crust works amazingly, but this time I’ll go with a sweeter chestnut bread I found in a local bakery. Choose whatever bread you like most and where you think it could taste well when toasted and loaded with flavourful mushrooms.

How to make Porcini Bruschetta:

Firstly, you want to take a minute to prepare your mushrooms. Clean the mushrooms using a mushroom brush and a wet tissue or cloth. You want to get any remaining earth and dirt off of them. Then, slice your mushrooms in half and check if they are good to go. Sadly we are not the only ones liking porcini, so you want to make sure no unwanted animals are hiding in your precious mushrooms. Once the porcini are checked, cut them into rough pieces. They will shrink in size while cooking, and I find it nice to have some texture on the bruschetta.

Once your mushrooms are good to go, finely dice your onion and garlic. Heat a pan on your stove, add your vegan butter and let it melt. Once the butter has melted, add your onions, and sauté until turning translucent. Add the garlic, and wait for another minute before adding the porcini. Add salt and pepper and sauté on medium heat until nice colour develops on your mushrooms.

Cut a thick slice of your bread of choice, thinly spread some vegan butter on it, and place it in your oven with the broil function. Alternatively, you can toast it in a pan or toaster as well. Once the bread is toasted nice and brown, generously top it with your hot mushrooms. Finish the porcini bruschetta with a final touch of olive oil, thinly sliced fresh red onion, and a sprinkle of black pepper and flakey salt, and enjoy while hot!

I hope you enjoy these delicious porcini bruschetta. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Some more Recipe Inspirations:

This recipe is amazing as a starter before having pasta agio olio e pepperoncino, or this fantastic roasted pumpkin risotto!
Delicious roasted pepper crostini are another fantastic appetiser.
Fig crostini with vegan cream cheese are a treat.
This bread topped with vegan salmon and avocado makes a great dish.
For some more antipasti, check out this tomato apple bruschetta! Its freshness pairs well with the savoury porcini bruschetta.
These garlic rosemary beans make a great antipasto as well!
A beautiful vibrant green spinach risotto.