Morels, Hunting- Eating- Preserving

Morel mushrooms can be found in many wooded spots throughout the world.
Morels like to grow in the shade of forests and may only grow in one spot for a couple of years. They seem to like to grow around Ash trees, in old apple orchards and especially around dying elm trees where the bark is just starting to come off.
They can also be found in areas that had recent forest fires, around railroad beds, and near wooded river bottoms.

When hunting morels I like to use a mesh orange bag so the air can circulate around them. I have heard that spores can excape from the bag and repopulate he forest. Remember to take your time and be careful not to step on any.
Many of these mushrooms can be tiny while others can be quite large. When you find one, look around for more. Usually you can find several in one spot.

Make sure of what you are picking because there are some varieties that can make you sick. A true morel will be hollow when you slice them lengthwise. Also do not pick any mushrooms that are ribbed underneath. Don't pick any toadstools. A good reference page for identifying edible morels is this website:
thegreatmorel_falsemorel

I suggest you go there if still uncertain.

Before you start to cook the morels, you must clean them first. To do this you need to cut the morel lengthwise, and cut off the portion at the bottom of the stem that still has dirt on it. Once they are cut, put them in a pan of water (I prefer saltwater) and keep in the fridge overnight. The next day rinse the morels in the sink, making sure you get all of the critters out.

Recipes

I personally prefer the frying method the best. Here is the way I do it.

Get a cast iron skillet and put it on the stove at medium to medium high. Add some real butter (enough to cover the bottom of the pan and enable frying). Coat the mushrooms in flour only. The moistness of the morels will allow the flour to stick nicely. Wait until the pan is hot before you insert the morels, Fry until they are crispy. Some of the larger ones will be chewy in the middle but that is ok. Salt to taste. They will still have that unique smokey, earthy taste that is hard to beat.

Some other ways the morels can be cooked are as follows.

They can be reduced down with beef broth to make an excellant gravy.
Larger ones can be grilled with seasoning salt.

Here are a few more recipes

Morel Mushroom Sauce
Sautee in a few tablespoons hot butter 'til done: 4 each of: Boneless chicken breasts, butterflied or Walleye filets, Pheasant breast or Veal cutlets, pounded thin. Keep warm and ladle sauce over, using heated plates.

Preparation
In a 12" non-stick skillet, heat 3 Tbs. butter (no substitute) over med.-high heat until foaming. Add 3 Cups small gray morels, or larger morels cut into slices no more than 1" long. Sautee, stirring occassionally, for 15-20 min. until slightly crispy. Add 1/4 C. thinly sliced green onion tops, 1/2 Tbs. dried parsley, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. Lawrey's salt, and cook for a few min. Turn heat to higher and add 1/2 C. dry white wine and reduce to almost a glaze. Turn heat to med. and add 2 C. whipping cream and 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard. Reduce slightly over slow boil until thickened- about 10-12 min. Serve.

Recipe for 4 persons. To make these really grand dishes, add 20-24 nice-sized boiled shrimp to sauce before serving.
.
.
.
Morels in Wine Sauce
Gently sautè scallions and/or garlic with rehydrated morels, in a combination of oil and butter, until morels are lightly browned and have absorbed the butter and oil. Remove the morels and deglaze pan with white wine. Reduce by half, then return morels with freshly chopped parsley. Simmer a few more minutes. Serve on toast with freshly ground pepper.

To rehydrate, simply place in warm water or cooking liquid for one hour until plump.
.
.
.
.
Sautéed Morels with Cream

15-20 fresh morels or reconstituted dried, cut in half if large
1 large shallot chopped fine
1 large clove garlic chopped fine
2 TBS butter (best with unsalted)
2 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Put olive oil in heated pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, stir and sauté until softened but not brown. Add butter until melted then add morels. Stir and cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 4 min. Add chicken stock and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cream and cook on low until reduced and thickened. Classically served on toast, but the best on grilled New York Strip steaks.
.
,
,
.

Spring Morels & Pork in an entrée
:

1 pound pork cutlets, cut very thin2 cups morel mushrooms1/4 cup butter1/4 cup dry white wine1 cup of your favorite brown sauceto taste salt and pepper Take your pork cutlets and trim the fat off and pound them out. Melt the butter in a saute pan and add the cutlets and mushrooms. Saute two minutes, then add the white wine and cook 30 seconds. Add the brown sauce and finish with a little whole butter.
.
.
.
.

Morels with Cream...

Recipe:
About 15 fresh morels, rinsed well and cut in half lengthwise
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
Truffle salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat heavy pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then shallots and garlic and saute briefly. Add butter and heat until melted. Add the morels, stirring and cooking until they begin to brown and release their moisture (about 5 minutes). Add chicken stock and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir. Add cream and continue heating on low until reduced and thickened slightly.

Serve over pasta

After cutting and cleaning your morels you may have more than you can eat right away.

The method I use the most is drying, which can be done in a number of ways.

You can string the morels up and the air will dry them nicely, you can also dry them on a screen.

The way I dry them is to put a few mushrooms in a brown school bag and roll up the end. Just stick them in the fridge until dry (this will take several days). Once dry put in glass jars and keep in the fridge for upto a year.

To rehydrate, soak in water.

Freezing methods
Take an empty milk jug and cut the top off enough to get the morels in, fill with water and freeze. Be sure not to not put to many in one jug. You can later defrost the mushrooms and cook as you wish.

Another method is to fry ahead of time and use zip lock bags to freeze. Just pop them in the oven at 350 until warm for a taste snack anytime.