# Morel Mushrooms



## Surfdreams (Apr 4, 2006)

I recently had polenta topped with a morel sauce at a restaurant in S.F.  OMG - I love morels.  Does anyone have any recipes using fresh morels?  They have some lovely ones at the store.  Thanks


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## bethzaring (Apr 6, 2006)

nuttin special, usually saute them in a bit of butter and olive oil with fresh asparagus, or add to a pizza topping.  If I have too many (usually not the case) I will dry them for use later.


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## Gretchen (Apr 6, 2006)

Morels in a store!!! Wow. How much?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 6, 2006)

We have to trudge through the woods and pick them in my neck of the woods.  None available in the stores.

I took a good chuck roast and cooked it on the covered grill last weekend.  I sliced the rare leftovers and sliced them into very thin slices.  I then made a beef gravy using a high-quality soup base, water, and cornstarch.  I also added diced onion to the gravy before thickening.  I took about 6 morels and minced them, then added them to the gravy and let cook for 30 minutes.  Then, I added just a couple drops of truffle oil.  Finally, I added the sliced beef and cooked just long enough to heat the meat.

Served this with smashed spuds for my wife, and steamed green beans, and made an open-faced beef 'n'gravy sandwich on whole wheat bread with green beans on the side for me.  It was truly yummy.

I find morells a little strong to be eaten by themselves.  I prefer to use their great flavor to enhance other foods, especially beef. 

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance (Apr 6, 2006)

We love morels, but HB gets chiggers so bad, he doesn't hunt them much anymore. 
Most people around here eat them fried, as the main course. Soak mushrooms in salt water first, to get the varmints out...this won't hurt morels. Drain them, then dip them in flour, egg/water, then flour and fry in a skillet in a couple inches of vegetable oil until light golden in color. Do not over-cook as they are very delicate. 
All you need to go with is a baked potato and small salad. 

Warning: some people can eat a bucket of morels at a sitting, but some are less tolerant of them, and can experience some discomfort in the digestive tract. (Diarrhea, to be exact.  ) If you've never eaten them before, go lightly the first time.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 6, 2006)

Constance, you are so correct.  Indeed, some of the morells picked by upers fall under the category, false morells.  These are distinguished from true morells in that the cap edges are seperated from the stems.  One such false morell, known around here as the beefsteak mushroom is tolerated by some people, but causes sickness in others.  And there are people who can't eat either the true or false morels.  It really depends on teh person.

True morells rarely cause trouble.  But if picking wild, you'd better know what you are doing.  Some false morells are dangerously poisonous, while others are mildly so.  Again, whether you are pickling whitel or black morells, the cap must be attached to the stem for it to be a true morell.  And for heaven's sake, pick up a good identification guid, with clear, colorful pictures of both good and bad varieties.  They are plentiful and easy to obtain at most libraries, and on-line.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance (Apr 6, 2006)

Here's a good site for mushroom identification:

http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/mushrooms/mushroom/edible.htm


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## Claire (Apr 9, 2006)

I have a friend who takes us mushrooming every spring; we'll be doing it next month. My favorite things to do with the mushrooms is stroganof or a red wine sauce (hey, they aren't mutuall exclusive, a red wine stroganof works, too!). Right now I have some venison in the freezer, already cooked in a red wine sauce. So the mushrooms will be sauteed in butter and added to the already made venison "stew" (meat, garlic, onion, and very tasty stock/gravy). Then I can decide whether to add sour cream or paprika or ..... I, personally, love to combine different kinds of mushrooms for a fuller flavor.

I'm a coward, I only eat mushrooms that experienced people (who have eaten them for years and lived to tell the tale) tell me are safe.  I wouldn't try to do it myself.


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## Constance (Apr 9, 2006)

Morels are easy to identify once you've seen them, Claire. Check out this nice one:


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## Constance (Apr 9, 2006)

Someplace I've seen a recipe for stuffing morels with a crab dressing. You could batter and fry the smaller ones, but I would think the large ones would have to dipped, crumbed and cooked in the oven to get everything heated through. I think the delicate flavors would really compliment each other.


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## Claire (Apr 10, 2006)

Our local gourmet store will sell morels that people bring them.  You can also buy them from farmers -- there will be a sign, and you'll go off the beaten path to a farm and buy them from the farmer.  (No, they're not farmed, just that the farmer has a patch of woods that are condusive to growing them.  If I remember right, oak trees).  I probably would trust myself to eat a morel I found by myself, but no other type of mushroom.  The main danger can sometimes be that people can be very possesive of "their" mushrooming territory.  I've heard of people being shot for trespassing.  So we go with a friend who has permission to be on the land we're "harvesting".  As I said, there are a few sources for buying them around here, but they are very expensive, and quite often water-logged and not as good as when you pick and clean them yourself.


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## Claire (Apr 10, 2006)

Goodweed, what brand of beef base do you use?  I make my own poultry stock all the time, but beef can be very expensive to make -- I'd love to find something commercial that I really like.  I find that eef broth/stock in cans tastes like ... well, a tin can.  I've found several chicken products I like OK, but beef seems harder.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 10, 2006)

Claire said:
			
		

> Goodweed, what brand of beef base do you use? I make my own poultry stock all the time, but beef can be very expensive to make -- I'd love to find something commercial that I really like. I find that eef broth/stock in cans tastes like ... well, a tin can. I've found several chicken products I like OK, but beef seems harder.


 
Orington Farms Beef, and Orington Farms Chicken soup base are both pretty good tasting.  They come as a powder, similar to bulion, but with much better flavor.

And even better flavored sauce maker is Washington's Deep Brown Sauce.  It turns ordinary beef broth into something special.  Unfortunately, the grocers in my town quit carrying it. 

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance (Apr 10, 2006)

Here's their online catalog...

http://www.orringtonfarms.com/ie/Product_catalog.htm


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## Claire (Apr 11, 2006)

How funny.  Orrington Farms is my favorite chicken base, I don't know why I haven't tried their beef.  Thanks for the "heads up"!


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