Tuesday, May 31, 2011

One Little Mushroom

Morels are perhaps the most prized mushroom.  Unable to be grown in captivity, they can only be found through foraging.  Which also means they are only available for a short, seasonal period.  You can buy them in the stores, when the season comes, but with these factors, they carry quite a hefty price tag - usually $25/lb, though this year they were coming in at $30/lb.  Unfortunately, too rich for our blood.

Morels grow wonderfully in Wisconsin, so morel hunting is big business.  Bryan attended a lecture at the library presented by the Wisconsin Mycological Society, followed a few days later by a foraging outing in the Kettle Moraine Forest (North).  We were hoping he would get a few, so we could have a few tastes this spring, at least, but we didn't get our hopes up too much.

Well, you'd never have known Bryan was a novice, because he got a TON!  12 oz. in total, which is no small take.






With so many morels at our fingertips, we were excited to find the perfect recipe to showcase them.  Some quick research yielded two common tips: less is more, and cream tastes good with morels.  We settled on a Lasagna with Asparagus, Leeks and Morels.


Oh, it was good.  So, so good.

And we even had enough mushrooms leftover to have some with our eggs for breakfast.  Not bad for a first time out!

3 comments:

Megan said...

Wow, I can't believe how many you found! I found a huge Morel out hiking recently, and tucked it safely in my backpack to cook for dinner and then forgot about it. It was pretty smashed and slimy by the time I got to it.

Maybe I'll be able to talk my Mountain Man into going foraging sometime!

TikiBarSoap said...

Oh my gosh, Lucky! They are SO delish and $$, and the dish looks delish!

Danielle said...

Hi,
I'm writing to let you know about a recipe contest that may interest you: the Madison Area CSA Coalition is seeking recipes designed by community members like you for their “Farm-Fresh and Fast” cookbook project. They are looking for original recipes that feature fresh, local produce and are ready to serve in under 60 minutes. (i.e., things that would be good for weeknight meals). If they select your submission(s) for publication, you’ll see your name, and your culinary creation, in print!

The link below has all the details of the contest. Please feel free to submit as many recipes as you wish, or forward the contest to anyone else who may be interested in participating.

Thanks!
Danielle Pacha

PS: If you plan to announce the contest on your blog and you'd like access to any of the contest graphics, please let me know and I'll get them to you.

http://www.csacoalition.org/news/recipe-contest/