Recipe: Recipes using Morels - Fettucine with Morels, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese, Pan-Fried Walleye with Morel-Leek Sauce, Wild Morels in Cream and Bouillon

Here are a few recipes that use morels. Good luck!

Fettucine with Morels, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese

1/2 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh morels (available seasonally at specialty produce markets and some supermarkets), washed well, patted dry, and trimmed
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 ounces mild goat cheese such as Montrachet, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and cooked in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
3/4 pound fettuccine

In a heavy skillet cook the shallot in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the wine, and simmer the mixture until the wine is reduced by half. Add the broth and the morels, sliced crosswise, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the morels are tender. Add the cream and the goat cheese and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Stir in the asparagus, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste and keep the sauce warm. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the fettuccine until it is al dente, drain it well, and in a bowl toss the pasta with the sauce.

Serves 4 to 6 as a first course. Gourmet May 1992

Pan-Fried Walleye with Morel-Leek Sauce

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder,optional
4 to 6 fresh ramps (bulbs and greens)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups coarsely cut-up morels
1 cup half-and-half or evaporated skim milk
Fillets from 1 walleye, skin removed
Salt and pepper

Combine first 6 ingredients in plastic bag. Shake well and set aside. Trim and discard root end from ramps. Cut ramp bulbs into 1/8-inch-thick slices and greens into 1/2-inch-wide strips. In saucepan or skillet, melt about 2 teaspoons of butter over medium heat. Add ramps and saute for a few minutes. Add morels, and continue cooking until mushrooms are just tender. Push mushrooms to side of pan, and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of flour mixutre into juices, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cook for about a minute, stirring frequently. Add half-and-half. Adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and continue cooking while preparing fish, stirring occasionally.

Shake damp fillets in flour. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from fillets and add to skillet. Reduce heat slightly, and cook until fish is golden brown on bottom. If skillet seems dry, add more butter, and then turn fillets and cook until fish is just done. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish.

Wild Morels in Cream and Bouillon

2 cups (2 ounces) dried morel mushrooms
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
Fine sea salt to taste
2 shallots, peeled and finely minced
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoonns freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
Freshly ground white pepper to taste

If any of the morels are extremely large, halve them lengthwise. Place the morels in a colander and rinse well under cold running water to rid them of any grit. Transfer them to a heatproof measuring cup. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms to cover. Set aside for 20 minutes to plump them up. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the mushrooms from the liquid, leaving behind any grit that may have fallen to the bottom.

Place piece of dampened cheesecloth in a colander set over a large bowl. Carefully spoon the mushroom soaking liquid into the colander, leaving behind any grit at the bottom of the measuring cup. You should have 1 1/2 cups of mushroom bouillon. Set it aside.

In a medium sized skillet, combine the butter, a pinch of the sea salt and the shallots. Sweat, uncovered, over moderate heat without letting the shallots color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the drained morels and about 1/2 cup of the mushroom bouillon. Cook, uncovered, over moderate heat until the liquid is reduced to about 2 or 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and the remaining 1 cup mushroom bouillon.

Simmer, uncovered, over low heat until the morels have lost most of their firmness, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season generously with white pepper. Taste for seasoning and serve.

If mushrooms are gritty, blanch them in salted water for 3 minutes, then rinse under cold running water and drain.