This rich, creamy mixture showcases the distinctive flavor of morels. Spoon it over pasta or polenta for a hearty main course, or try it on toasted French bread for a savory starter.
| 1 | medium | onion, chopped |
| 1 | tablespoon | butter |
| 1 | tablespoon | olive oil |
| 4 | cups | dried morels* |
| 1 | quart | boiling water |
| 1 | tablespoon | chopped garlic |
| 5 | tablespoon | salted butter |
| 2–3 | teaspoons | tamari** |
| 1/3 | cup | parmesan, grated |
| 2/3 | cup | half-and-half or cream |
| 1/2 | teaspoon | sea salt |
| * This is approximately 2 3/4 ounces. ** You may substitute soy sauce for the tamari. |
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat.
- Add the onions and sauté until deep golden brown—approximately 10–12 minutes. Set aside.
- Rehdrate the morels in the boiling water for approximately 10 minutes.
- Strain the morels, reserving the liquid. Press the mushrooms against the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Set the liquid aside for several minutes to allow sediment to settle, then gently pour it off into a separate bowl, leaving any accumulated sediment behind. Strain a second time if needed. Discard sediment and reserve liquid.
Note: Test the sediment for grittiness with your finger. If there is gritty sand in the sediment, the morels will need to be rinsed several times before proceeding. If the sediment is soft and mushy, you can be sure the mushrooms are free of dirt, and there’s no need to rinse.
- Cut the morels in half, quartering the larger ones if needed to produce fairly uniform pieces.
- Heat the reserved soaking liquid (“morel stock”) in a saucepan and maintain a simmer.
- In a separate pan, heat ½ cup of water to a simmer.
- Heat the butter in a skillet set over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
- Stir in the morels and continue sautéing on medium-high heat until lightly seared—approximately 5 minutes.
- Add about ¼ cup of the hot water—a bit more if it vaporizes immediately.
- Continue to cook for a moment or two until the pan is fairly dry, then ladle in enough of the hot morel stock to cover the morels.
- Add one teaspoon of the tamari and the salt.
- Bring the mixture to a lively simmer, cover with a lid and cook until the morels are tender—about 20 minutes. Stir on and off, adding more stock if the pan seems dry. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.
Note: Ideally, you’ll end up with about half an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan when the morels are ready. If the stock runs out, you can add simmering water, or try a splash or two of marsala, madeira, or a dry white wine near the end of the cooking time. Do not add too much wine or the morel taste may be compromised.
- Add the grated parmesan cheese and mix well.
- Add the half-and-half, bring to a simmer and cook to thicken—5–10 minutes.
- Add the reserved onions and cook until heated through.
- Serve the morels over sourdough bread, pasta or polenta.
