Mother’s Day Morels!

by Laura Kurella

When hunting for a true morel mushroom, look for one that is small to large in size with caps that are oblong, cone-shaped, bulbous, or egg-shaped that flow unbroken into a naturally hollow, short, stout stem. The cap can range in color from blonde and light brown or even grey, to a dark brown shade.

Overall, the morel has a fragile, even brittle honeycomb-like exterior. When peering inside you should find both the cap and stem hollow and extending the full length of the mushroom and its stem.

FYI: False morels have a separate stem that is not part of the cap. Nor is it hollow. Found growing in pastures, orchards, and meadows on disturbed ground near spruce, ash, elm, and apple trees, morels also grow in burnt forests, too.

Not to be consumed raw, because doing so creates gastric distress, morels are best ingested after being gently sautéed or fried.

Mouth-watering Buttery-garlic Morels

Prep time: 5 minutes; cook time: 10 minutes; Total time: 15 minutes. Yield: 2 servings

2 handfuls fresh or dried morels

2 tablespoons light olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use

1 garlic clove, minced

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and or thyme

Splash of red wine, red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1/4 cup chicken stock

Unrefined mineral sea salt, to taste black pepper, to taste

Note: If using dried mushrooms, reconstitute in clean water for 30 minutes or until soft then gently strain, discarding gritty water. Place mushrooms on a clean dry towel. Inspect and slice larger mushrooms into lengthwise quarters or halves. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Once oil shimmers, add the morels. Cook the morels until they are brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add half the butter, all the garlic, and the whole sprigs of herbs. Stir to blend then cook until garlic sings, about 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with a splash of red wine, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice and broth.

Reduce heat to low. Sauté morels until tender, about 3 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add remaining butter, and swirl the pan to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper then serve with warm rustic bread or alone.

The arrival of spring brings with it the finest tasting mushroom in Michigan: The morel! Reaching a cult-like status among foraging enthusiasts, morels continue to draw increasing interest, luring more and more people into the woods to hunt them down, making these tiny fungi just as coveted, if not more so, as the deer! Shotguns aside, all anyone needs to pick off some morels is a sharp eye, and a keen sense of what to look for, especially since there are false morels out there to fool you!

laurakurella@yahoo.com.