I can't tell you where I found these that is the secret of the mushroom gatherer. Or should it be mushroom hunter? Forager? I wasn't actively looking when I came across a clump of five, but I put them in my pocket and brought them home. I can tell you I found them near a pine tree where the earth was recently disturbed.
I decided to prepare them simply by sautéing them in butter with a bit of salt. That way the flavor really comes through. Morels have a very distinct earthy mushroom-y taste and a solid texture. The morels let out a surprising amount of water as they cooked. In the end we enjoyed a nice little bowl of buttery morels as an appetizer. I saw an ad on Craig's List selling morels for $30 a pound. Wonder if he got any takers?
Sautéd Morels in Butter Sauce
1 tablespoon of butter per half pound of morels
Morels
Sprinkle of Kosher salt
Step 1: Clean the morels with water making sure to get all the grit out of their gills. I find the sprayer thing on my sink works well for this. Then slice the morels into rings, remove any dried out or desicated spots.
Step 2: Over medium heat saute the morels in butter. A lot of water will come out and that's fine, just keep cooking them until they have shrunk a bit and are darker in color. There will still be quite a bit of liquid.
Step 3: Serve in small bowls with a sprinkle of salt on top.
Wow they look really interesting! I have never heard of morel mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have cooked my store-bought shitakes and oysters like this instead of going overboard making saucy ragout! (I also wish I could forage!)
ReplyDeleteI am jealous, I would love to stumble upon some wild morels! Unfortunately that is highly unlikely down here in sunny San Diego. :P Have you read The Omnivore's Dilemma? There is a long chapter about mushroom foraging, and it is really interesting. I would highly recommend the book!
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