How do I cook thee? Let me count the ways. Actually, I don't have to count very high. By far, the three most com
mon methods for cooking morels are 1) breading or battering and then sautéeing or frying; 2) sautéeing and making a morel cream sauce; 3) stuffed and baked. I was faced with the happy dilemma when my friend Vivian shared her bounty of fresh morels sent to her overnight by relatives who hunt for them in the Missouri woods. (Photo at right from the Great Morel Page)Just for fun, if you want to see photos of how big Missouri's amazing morels can become, go to morels.com and click on the "Missouri photos" link next to the Missouri Message Board link. Some morels grow to enormous sizes, which would explain the popularity of stuffing and baking them. The ones Vivian shared with me weren't quite so imposing. They were "only" three to four inches long and lent themselves more to methods 1 or 2.
I looked at a lot of recipes. Many called for soaking the morels in salted water for two or three hours before cooking, which I did. When I told Vivian that, she said the folks in Missouri just rinse them well. Next time -- and I hope there's a next time, because they were really wonderful, I'll do that. This time, I combined several recipes and this is what I made:
Morels with Cream
About 15 fresh morels, rinsed well and cut in half lengthwise
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
Truffle salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
Heat heavy pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then shallots and garlic and sauté briefly. Add butter and heat until melted. Add the morels, stirring and cooking until they begin to brown and release their moisture (about 5 minutes). Add chicken stock and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir. Add cream and continue heating on low until reduced and thickened slightly.
Serve over pasta (I used fresh linguine) or perhaps sautéed or poached chicken breasts.
Serves 4.
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8 comments:
I've wondered if morels grow here. Seems like we might be too dry and not have the right kind of woodlands.
Doesn't seem as if Colorado is morel country. The morels.com website has message boards from 27 or 28 states plus Western States, which seems to be Pacific Northwest. The nearest states, if the message boards are any indication, are South Dakota and Oklahoma. The Great Morel Page has maps of "sightings." In 2006 and 2007, there was a tick or two in/near Denver, but not in 2005 or so far in '08. The upper Midwest is prime morel country.
To add to your blog....there are some, like Vivian who simply rinse the morels real good. Some will say the salt (if left soaking too long) will lessen the flavor. I am one who simply rinses them well twice - once when I bring them home and again before preperation when I halve them.
!brad
The Great Morel
"A Tribute to Shroomers"
http://www.thegreatmorel.com/index.shtml
Doesn't seem as if Colorado is morel country. The morels.com website has message boards from 27 or 28 states plus Western States, which seems to be Pacific Northwest. The nearest states, if the message boards are any indication, are South Dakota and Oklahoma. The Great Morel Page has maps of "sightings." In 2006 and 2007, there was a tick or two in/near Denver, but not in 2005 or so far in '08. The upper Midwest is prime morel country.
I don't think I've ever seen morels. Aren't they really expensive like truffles?
A few years ago I went to Switzerland on any assignment for Herb Companion magazine to write about mushrooms as 'herbs' in Swiss cuisine. Switzerland has the most fungi of any place on Earth and the Swiss tourist board sent us to several very nice Swiss restaurants to sample numerous dishes with many different mushrooms. The Swiss have great mushroom recipes.
I used to live in Michigan. There were TONS of morels in the woods there. Too dry here for them to grow. I've heard there's some in Nebraska, somewhere.
I,m sure you can find morels in Colorado. I and other I know have its about the right place at the right time. Narrow Leaf Cottonwood Trees find them and you'll find some! But when is the mystery!
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