I have some morel (sp) mushrooms!!

[SweetTooth]

A friend dropped by last night with some fresh mushrooms. YUM!!

I put them in salt water (and have changed the water now about 3 times) and kept in the refrigerator

Questions:

How long will they keep? Do I continue to keep them in salt water until I cook them? They were picked fresh yesterday (Wed) afternoon.

How do you fix them?

Note: I know there can be some small bugs/ants in them that is why I am soaking them. How do I make sure they are "clean" to cook?

Thanks !!!

[Canice]

Lucky you! The are always cost-prohibitive around here (like $25/pound). I can't answer your question because I would not have washed them until I was ready to cook them. Maybe someone else can advise.
This recipe is worthy of getting a girl kicked of "Cooking Light" for life, but I really want to try it. Maybe have guests over and serve as an app; I'm a full believer in pawning off the evil stuff on friends!

(I would not make ANY of the substitutions mentioned)
Morel Mushroom and Oloroso Sherry Gratin

Notes: this dish is served in a small cazuela (a Spanish earthenware casserole); we increased the portion to make a generous appetizer for four. Morel mushrooms are in season in the spring and early summer in the Northwest. If you can't find them, cremini mushrooms will make a different but delicious dish. And if you can't find Manchego cheese, you can use another sharp-flavored, aged white cheese, such as dry jack.

8 ounces fresh morel or cremini mushrooms (see notes)
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced shallots (about 2 oz.)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup oloroso sherry
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup finely shredded Manchego cheese (about 2 oz.; see notes)
8 ounces crusty artisan-style bread, sliced and toasted

1. Trim and discard discolored stem ends from morels. Submerge mushrooms in a bowl of cool water and gently agitate with your hands to loosen any dirt. Drain, rinse thoroughly under running water, and gently pat dry. Cut mushrooms in half lengthwise (if using cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters).
2. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallots and garlic and stir often until limp, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir often until juices released by mushrooms have evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Add sherry and increase heat to medium-high. Boil until sherry is reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Add cream and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickly coats mushrooms and is reduced by about two-thirds, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Spoon mushroom mixture into a shallow 3- to 4-cup ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle top evenly with cheese. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Serve with toasted bread slices.

[veschke]

One of the Barefoot Contessa books has a wonderful (*not* light) recipe for chicken with morels and cream sauce. We can only find the dried ones here (rarely). If no one else turns it up I can try to find the recipe for you tonight.

[sdcook]

You are so lucky! Growing up, we would go hunting for morels and come home with bags of them. I didn't realize then that I had it so good. We always bread them and fry them . Just use crushed saltines and egg. So tasty. I'm hoping my dad gets back to our hometown to get a bag or two this year and shares!

[PamN]

I haven't tried this one myself., but this recipe that should let the the flavor of the mushrooms shine, and without the cream. I do think I'd like Canice's recipe better. You can't beat mushrooms and cream -- the real stuff.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Roasted Wild Mushrooms

Recipe By :Sally Schneider, A New Way to Cook (Artisan 2001)
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Vegetables

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 pounds wild mushrooms
such as chanterelle, morel, shiitake, oyster, hedgehog, and/or portobello
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves -- smashed
2 juniper berries -- crushed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dry white wine
or sherry
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grappa (optional)
or cognac
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush any dirt from the mushrooms with a soft brush or damp paper towel. Trim off the ends of the stems and discard. Cut the mushrooms lengthwise into halves, quarters, or eighths to make bite-sized pieces that will still retain some of the shape of the mushroom.

In a shallow casserole, combine the mushrooms, onion, garlic, juniper berries, and thyme. In a small bowl, combine the white wine with 2 teaspoons of the oil and the grappa, if using, and pour it over the mushrooms as you toss to coat them. Sprinkle with the salt and toss again.

Cover the mushrooms with foil and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are tender and the juices are just beginning to caramelize in the bottom of the pan. (If there is still some liquid in the pan, uncover and roast the mushrooms until the liquid has evaporated. Continue to roast until they are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes longer.) When the mushrooms are tender, toss them with the remaining teaspoon of oil and the pepper, to taste.

You can roast the mushrooms several hours ahead and reheat them before serving in a small nonstick skillet with a little water.

Description:
"Menu: Fall Menu for A Splendid Table"
Source:
"Splendid Table: Special Features: Menus"
S(Web):
"http://table.mpr.org/recipes/index.html"
Copyright:
"2001 Sally Schneider"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 357 Calories; 16g Fat (38.8% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 972mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 8 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : Mushrooms pose a real dilemma in healthy cooking. Because they are so porous, they soak up fat like a sponge when sauteed in the traditional manner. This technique, roasting mushrooms with a little bit of oil and wine until they become tender with a slightly browned exterior, duplicates the delicious effects of sauteing with a minimum of fat and effort. These can be used in all recipes that call for sauteed mushrooms. Or, to serve them as is, toss with minced garlic and parsley a la Provencal. [USE for Bruschetta of Wild Mushrooms]

Nutr. Assoc. : 4196 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[PamN]

Here's the Ina Garten recipe veschke mentioned.

foodsubs.com says 1 pound fresh mushrooms = 6 cups sliced fresh mushrooms = 3 ounces dried mushrooms



* Exported from MasterCook *

Chicken with Morels

Recipe By :Ina Garten
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:06
Categories : Main Dish Poultry

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 ounce dried morels -- soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot tap water
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts [halves]
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
all-purpose flour -- for dredging
1/4 cup clarified butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots -- (2 large)
1 tablespoon minced garlic -- (3 cloves)
1 cup Madeira
1 cup creme fraiche -- (8 ounces)
(or sour cream)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid. Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone. Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the clarified butter in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof casserole.

Add the rest of the clarified butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly.

Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through. To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce in the casserole and reheat slowly on top of the stove.

Yield: 6 servings

DO AHEAD: Chicken can be seared and sauce made two days before. Refrigerate. Finish by reheating 12 minutes in a 375 oven.

Description:
"Menu: 5 Day Make Ahead Dinner"
Source:
"TVFN: Barefoot Contessa Show IG 1c13: 5 Day Make Ahead Dinner"
S(Book):
"Barefoot in Paris (Clarkson Potter 2004)"
Copyright:
"2004 Ina Garten"
Start to Finish Time:
"1:16"
T(Cooking Time):
"0:40"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 516 Calories; 36g Fat (67.7% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 180mg Cholesterol; 113mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 7 Fat.

NOTES : TVFN Episode Page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show..._36186,00.html

Nutr. Assoc. : 3130 2313 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Mpenny1001]

Mmmm. We always store ours in a paper bag in the fridge. We've never had them around for more than a day or two, so I don't know how long they actually stay fresh! We do a very simple prepartion - saute in butter, maybe add a little garlic and serve them over steak or scramble them with eggs (or make into an omelette).

[foodfly]

Attended an early March cooking class and of all the wonderful things we ate, it was the Morel Mushroom & Gorgonzola (We used aged Blue Cheese) Savory Bread Pudding that no one could stop raving about. It was my first eating/cooking experience with morels. They were wonderful. We used fresh morels in this recipe, but re-hydrated also works. This pudding rates 2 thumbs up! Sorry, I don't remember what size baking pan was used & it's not on my recipe copy.

Mushroom & Gorgonzola Bread Pudding
Source: Chef Debbi Dubbs/The Seasonal Chef/ www.debskitchen.com
via Chef Matt Little Dog of Simon & Seaforts, Anchorage, Alaska

Servings: 12

Custard
3 ½ cups heavy cream (Trader Joes)
10 egg yolk (use large eggs)

Savory Bread Pudding
1 oz butter, whole
8 oz onion, yellow – diced ¼”
½ oz garlic, fresh, minced
4 oz leeks, cleaned, julienne 1”x ¼”
8 oz. morel mushrooms, fresh, cut into ¼” strips (can use dry & re-hydrate in approx 5-6 oz of beef stock, wine, or chicken stock; however be aware those flavors will end up in the pudding)
¼ cup sherry, dry
½ tspn sea salt
1 tspn pepper, black, coarse ground
8 oz. gorgonzola cheese, ½” chunks (We used Bel Gioso Blue)
½ lb sourdough bread cut into ½” – ¾” cubes (We used La Brea Bakery brand now avail at supermarkets & Costco. At least a day old.)

3 cups Custard, as needed

Custard:
In a heavy gauge saucepan, bring the cream to 170-180 degrees.
Separate the egg keeping only the yolks. Begin tempering the yolks by whisking in small amounts of hot cream. Do not boil. Slowly combine all the cream with the yolks.
Keep warm until added to bread cubes.

Savory Bread Pudding:
Heat sauté pan over medium high heat and add butter and onions and sweat. Add leeks and sauté until slightly soft. Next add morel mushrooms and garlic. Continue to sauté for about one minute then deglaze pan with the sherry and turn off the heat.
Combine the cut and dried bread crumbs to the sauté mixture and fold together. Pour half of the custard mixture into the bread crumbs and continue to fold. Next add the gorgonzola cheese (or blue) and continue to fold. Add the remaining custard to the bread.
Place into baking pan and let sit for approx 30 min or until bread cubes have absorbed liquid. Bake uncovered for 30-40 min.
Cool before serving.

Can be mixed up the day before.

[avariell]

we would soak them right before we ate them, then toss in flour to coat and fry in butter. soooooooooo delicious. i miss hunting for them and having them fresh to eat

[masimmons]

I grew up in Indiana where hunting mushrooms was THE thing to do in the spring. I really miss doing it. We always fixed them like avariell said, except I think Mother used Crisco instead of butter. She would flour and freeze them too when we had lots and lots. ENJOY!!!

[SweetTooth]

I took your advice avariell and floured and fried in butter. I know they were not "low fat" but we haven't had them in years and ohhhhhhhhhhhh were they good.

Thanks everyone!

[avariell]

nothing like some good ol' fashioned butter frying to make something taste yummy
now i have to go hunt up some 'shrooms to cook!! i usually have good luck finding them at healthfood stores like Wild Oats or Whole Foods

[gperls]

I just bought some at our Whole Foods store yesterday. They were $50/lb. I didn't get too many.