I've heard people talk about the thrill of morel hunting in Michigan, but have never stalked one myself. My neighbor recently gave us a few morels she plucked from her backyard.
So now that we've got some in the house, what to do with them? Eat them, or course, but what's a good way to prepare them?
Here are five moral recipes to try out this season:
- Morels with Pasta - From the "Great Morel" - anything that calls for Cognac as an ingredient sounds good in my book
- Asparagus and Morels - When looking for a good mushroom recipe, could there be anyone more qualified than "mushroom-appreciation.com"?
- Morel & Leek Strata with Lemon Thyme Biscuits - Phew! Now we're cooking! This one is for brunch and was voted the "winning morel recipe" by the Max Foods "morel recipe challenge."
- Sausage, Sage, and Morel Ravioli - sausage flavors vary, but if you're into making the sausage yourself, this one is for you.
- "Less is More" - that's what Michael Hall writes on the Great Morel website: "Nothing like Morels and a big fat juicy steak off the grill! :-) I use an Iron Skillet and melt as much butter as needed to cover what shrooms I have. I season the morels with salt and pepper only, maybe season salt if my tastes buds desire, but that is all. Sautee' the mushrooms, over medium heat, until desired doneness and enjoy! I feel if you doctor them up too much you are really taking away the true flavor of these magnificent jewels of the forest."
So how about the experienced morel hunters out there - how do you like to eat these "jewels of the forest"?
And for those of you considering a morel hunt - be careful - there are false morels lurking in the woods and they can make you quite sick. The Great Morel has some more information on how to identify false morels.
