Why mess with perfection. This is gourmet! A treasure of Appalachian Cuisine is the Morel Mushroom. Fresh picked, these bring nice money in big city markets. But I get them free just for having the good sense to live where they grow. You might notice a lack of instructions on where to find them. Nobody in their right mind ever tells someone else their secret hunting spots unless they are star struck in love and have run out of flirting skills.
You can find many recipes for morels. However, I would never bury these delicacies in any other food. I want my morels sautéed in butter with a touch of salt (photo on right). Anything else is a second rate. It’s like watering down your favorite beer or wine. Why would you do that? Why mess with perfection?
Morels are one of the few mushrooms that are so distinct that I feel comfortable picking them. A couple of poisonous mushrooms look sorta like them, but not really. The true Morel that tastes unbelievable has this look (see photo) where the top portion attaches straight to the hollow stem and the top is hollow too. Just because I told you this secret doesn’t protect you from poisoning yourself though. So don’t pick mushrooms! Especially the ones I want to pick but you got there first!
If you happen upon some, and didn’t follow my instructions above, here is my recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound morel mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
Morels are bug and dirt collectors so you might want to wash them. I usually do, but not always if I can pick them clean. To wash them, I run them under the spigot one at at time, rolling them under the water to release anything I’d rather not eat. Then I dry them well with paper towels.
Next, cut them up into bite sized pieces. They make nice hollow rings if cut cross-wise. Then heat a large cast-iron skillet or any pan will do. Add butter and melt. Then add the Morels. Don’t over load the pan with too many; make sure they fit in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. You might need to do batches if your pan is small.
Saute on medium, stirring until the Morels release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking, adjusting the heat to maintain a light sizzle of the mushrooms until the liquid has evaporated (about 10 minutes). Be sure to keep the heat low enough not to burn them!
Transfer the Morels to a plate or serving platter and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
You can eat that? 