Morchella is not an alternative music festival
One sure sign I know spring is upon us is that I start to see the Morchella fungi (better know as the Morel) start to appear at my local mushroom market. This is something I literally wait for each year, so do yourself a favor and go out and buy some.
In case you aren't familiar with the morel, here's a brief intro on it's taxonomy from the Microbe Wiki.
There are three species of the morel:Morchella deliciosa
Morchella esculenta
Morchella conica"The classic yellow morel, such as the species Morchella esculenta has a delicate flavor combined with a meaty texture. This species is considered to be one of the most prized and delicious of all Morchella. Morchella deliciosa is also an example of a yellow morel. There are several other varieties, most of which are found in North America. They are usually found east of the Great plains, but some species have been found in the Pacific Northwest. Sizes vary, but these fungi can grow up to a foot high. However, M. deliciosa tends to be much smaller than M. esculenta. M. deliciosa are also known for their elongated pits and ridges."
Among the culinary, it is a highly prized fungi that sells for about $45 a pound. The reason it is so expensive is that there hasn't been much success in the commercial farming of this mushroom.
They grow wild in forested areas. I've gone morel picking many times in a very large area of Virginia known as Redneckia.
Because of the size and color of the morel, they typically blend in with their environment, and it takes a lot of patience to locate them, as they can sometimes be hidden among the decaying leaves and old branches on the forest floor.
I once spent an hour searching in an area known for their abundance and only collected 7 of them.
Preparation & Enjoyment
Like all things in Redneckia, morels are often fried. I personally think frying anything that costs $45 a pound to be a hang-able offense. Fried mushrooms are for carnivals, state fairs, and beer tents...not for morels. I'm sure I'll get some grief for saying that...but it happens to be my opinion. However, it was through this yearly sacrilege that I discovered their delicious woody flavor and remarkable texture.
You can buy dried morels year-round which just need a bit of soaking to bring them back to life, but as with all things, it just isn't as good as fresh.
Morels have an interesting "rubbery" texture, and unlike many mushrooms you might be familiar with in the grocery store, the morel is hollow on the inside. They tend to be cone shaped with a honeycomb-like texture on the outside. Morels are sold fresh and likely not cleaned, as getting morels wet before storage wold limit their life span. To clean them you only need to brush them off or soak them lightly in water to get any little bugs out of the inside. If you do find a little insect larvae, don't freak out...just consider it a bit of extra protein.
Since you want to enjoy the texture and the flavor of the morel, don't overcook them or cook them with anything that will mask their flavor. A little butter and olive oil is all you need to sauté them. However, they do add a nice flavor to soups and other sauces.
My Own Favorite Morel Recipe - Morel Ravioli in Mushroom Butter Sauce (Serves 2)
[Note: This recipe assumes you've made or can make your own Ravioli...and is TOTALLY worth it!]
Ingredients:
Four tablespoons of fresh ricotta cheese
Handful of morels (about $10 worth)
Half a stick of butter
1 Cup of morel water
Pinch of salt
Ravioli dough
First, soak about half of your morels in a cup of hot water for about 5-10 minutes. During this time the morels will turn the water dark brown. When this is done, remove these morels and put them onto a cutting board, and mince them into very small pieces, preserving the other half that you didn't soak for later use.
Take one tablespoon of the morel water and add it to the ricotta cheese and mix well. Set the rest of the water aside for later use. Now add the minced morels to the ricotta mixture and stir. This is the ravioli filling.
Spoon a fair portion of the ravioli mixture into the center of your ravioli and crimp them. When you finish this, you can go ahead and begin boiling your water and cooking the ravioli.
In another pan, heat a half a stick of butter until it begins to brown. Then add about a quarter of the remaining morel water to the butter. Cook on a medium high heat until you've reduced the sauce in half. Now, turn the burner to low and throw in the remaining uncut morels, add the salt, and cover the pan. Cook for just a couple of minutes. This will ensure the morels don't overcook and will also allow them to soak up the flavor of the sauce. When the morels feel nice and rubbery, remove the sauce from the heat.
By this time the ravioli should be done. Drain them well and make sure all the moisture is gone.
After plating the ravioli, pour over the sauce and place the whole cooked morels around the outside of the plate or on top of the ravioli.
If you like, feel free to season with fresh pepper & parmesan.
Here are some other links about morels:
