Hurry, hurry, guys! Morels are in season right now. I won’t lie to you, they are quite pricey - around $50 at Whole Foods and $40 at Central Market – but the good news is, being hollow inside, they are very lightweight, and you don’t need that many of them because of their strong earthy flavor. Today, for dinner for two us, we needed less than a quarter of a pound.
Besides working wonders in pasta sauces, potato gratin, and other dishes where wild mushrooms would give a nice touch, morels go great all by themselves, sautéed in a combination of butter and oil, served as a side to a nice medium rare steak or grilled quail. We also like them sautéed with green peas or asparagus, which happen to be in season now as well. The sweetness of these vegetables perfectly accentuates deep, earthy flavor of morels.
For ¼ lb morels you will need:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 - 1 cup shelled green peas (can take frozen instead) or 8-10 asparagus stalks, trimmed, very briefly blanched in hot water and cut into 1.5-2 inch pieces
A splash of off dry white wine or dry vermouth
Salt and black pepper, to taste
A small twig of fresh tarragon, minced, or thyme (leaves only)
Generally, I try to avoid washing mushrooms as they tend to absorb water like a sponge and then their texture feels like one. Damp paper towel is usually enough to remove the dirt. However, morels have hollow centers and honeycomb-like cap where dirt and small debris can hide too deep for a paper towel to remove it easily. So, my suggestion is to cut each mushroom in half lengthwise and rinse under running water. Since morels are less thick and spongy than most of other mushrooms, you can soak them for no more than a minute a couple of times to make sure that all the dirt is gone.
Pat the mushrooms dry with paper towels. If using asparagus, cut the mushrooms halves lengthwise into 2-3 strips, depending on their size. If using peas, cut the mushrooms halves in quarters so they resemble peas in size.
In a wide shallow pan, heat oil and butter until the latter melted completely and gets foamy. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and peas or asparagus. Cook for another minute and add a splash of vermouth/white wine. Let it boil down completely. Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle with tarragon or thyme. Give a good stir and serve. This dish goes equally great with meat, poultry or fish (try it with Copper River salmon, another seasonal delight!).
Sometimes, I take shelled edamame instead of green peas.
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