Morels are one of our favorite mushrooms of all time, and they're in season right now! Since they're harvested from the wild, morels come with a fair amount of grit and all those little nooks and crannies can be hard to clean. Here's how we do it...
There's a lot of debate about whether morels should be rinsed under water, dry-brushed with a paper towel, or soaked in salted water remove the grit. We opt for a middle ground and rinse them quickly under cool running water. We use an old soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub between the folds and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
Morels have a hollow center and the larger mushrooms can sometimes collect dirt (or the occasional insect traveler) inside. In these cases, we slice the morels in half before cleaning. The presentation isn't quite as striking, but we'll compromise in order to avoid sandy mushrooms.
Both the cone-shaped body and the stem are edible. We trim the end of the stem if it's particularly woody or dried out.
Don't wash morels until right before you're going to cook them. Freshly picked and refrigerated in a paper bag, they'll actually keep for several days, but their quality deteriorates rapidly once they've been washed.
What's your favorite way to eat morels?
Related: Tip: Save Mushroom Stems for Soups!
(Image: Flickr member Nature Snooper licensed under Creative Commons)
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I don't eat mushrooms, but I did see these at the store today. $43/lb!
sauteed in butter, period..
Mmmm...breaded and fried. My grandparents used to go mushrooming, bring them back and fry them. It was a meal we looked forward to every year.
Because of the irregular shape of the surface of morels, they cannot be cleaned easily even when rubbed or brushed. Likewise, I've learned to avoid using water to wash morels since, like raspberries, even brief soaking removes their flavor and damages their texture. If the morels you pick seem gritty or dirty, cut them in half lengthwise and run them quickly under cold water. Blot on paper towel and cook immediately. : )
Just because it's edible, that doesn't mean you should :)
I always have morels at least once a year. Most of the time to retain the distinctive morel flavor, 1) i soak in salt water for 15 min. 2) slice 3) slice in rings a shallot in olive oil and butter 4) add morels 5) add a tad of cream
YUM!!!
Luke
New Urban Sharecropper
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Tonight we're eating them in a risotto made w/ homemade stock. I'll also go for a few breaded and fried, though, too!
My cleaning procedure for morels is this:
1. Fill a vessel with clean cold water and dump the morels in. Swish them quickly and lift them out.
2. Repeat this procedure for a total of seven times if necessary. Many times there are worms that need some heavy persuasion.
That photograph is pretty amazing. Could that be wild ginger next to the morel?
My first morel feast involved eating massive amounts of them after they had been crusted in saltines and deep fried.
Art, that purple flower with the heart shaped leaf is a violet. They are all over the ground right now, but I've never seen a morel.
All morels contain a certain amount of poison and should always be boiled (my mother taught me 2x5 mins in 3:1 water (water thrown away afterwards)) or dried completely then soaked (water thrown away) before use. That usually takes care of the 'cleaning' as well.
I just found a patch of morels growing in my little backyard in Seattle, under a plum tree, so exciting! Couple are larger than my hand. I like them sauteed with asparagus.