We are OBSESSED with these little morsels of fungi perfection. They have an extremely short season and are very expensive. I spent all my money on ‘em this week. It’s easy to do at $3 an ounce. It’s also totally worth it. We got three awesome meals out of them.
Meal 1…invited Chef Jeff and Danielle over for dinner. Dave and I got up super early and went to the Green City Market, Chicago’s PREMIERE farmer’s market, http://www.
Here’s the menu:
Pork tenderloin medallions in a Belgian beer and pancetta sauce…this was inspired by a dish from one of our favorite restaurants, Hopleaf. The Hopleaf dish used quail, fava beans and a different beer, De Proef. We used pork, fiddlehead ferns, morels and Goose Island’s Matilda brew. I liked ours much better. Dave has a way with pork that is downright poetic. If he ever offers to cook pork, always say yes.
Morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns…fiddlehead ferns were new to me, I had never heard of them. Dave read about them doing research on morels, and like morels, they are foraged, not cultivated and very expensive, about $20 per pound here in Chicago. They're very green and in the shape of a spiral and their taste is a delicious combination of asparagus and artichokes. The earthy flavor of the morel and the sweet and tart flavor of the ferns match perfectly. Chef Jeff and Dave simply sautéed these in some butter with salt and pepper, which just enhanced the flavor of an already perfect dish.
Jeweled green salad with asparagus and radish sprouts…straight from the garden in the yard! Chef Jeff whipped up vinaigrette with oil, dijon, and sherry vinegar.
Whipped potatoes…I don’t have a potato ricer, and I wanted really smooth potatoes, so I boiled the russets, and the pushed the cooked potatoes through a sieve using a potato masher. Pain in the butt, but worked perfectly. I whipped them in the kitchen aid with butter, chicken stock, and a touch of cream. These were a great vehicle for the delicious pancetta/beer sauce that Dave made.
Passionfruit meringue pie…I was very proud of this pie. See picture below. It turned out so much better than I expected. I used a passionfruit puree that Chef Jeff ordered for me from one of his suppliers of his restaurant. The recipe is based on my lemon meringue pie recipe and I simply substituted the lemon juice with the puree. The tart passionfruit flavor, in custard form, considerably mellowed out. It was DELIGHTFUL! Silky and light and the meringue was whipped to the perfect consistency (what did I ever do without my Kitchen Aid? Her name is Glory, by the way) and Dave ate the leftover pie for breakfast for the next couple of days.
Meal 2…I made this dinner the night before Dave had to take the GMAT, so I wanted it to be quickly prepared and tasty as it could possibly be. I went to the Green City market early in the morning, looking for inspiration. Ended up with the pasta, leeks, morels, and the kale. Figured I could throw together a delicious pasta dish in a matter of minutes, and send Dave back to studying with a full belly.
Here’s the menu.
Caprese salad…it’s too early for the market to have tomatoes, but I found some lovely ones at the new Whole Foods, which is amazing, by the way. GO. Anyway, I kept it simple. Tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella served on a bed of baby spinach and drizzled with olive oil and 18-year aged balsamic vinegar, then sprinkled with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Fresh egg parpadelle noodles from a local company, Pasta Puttana, tossed with morels sautéed in butter, melted leeks, Italian kale, parmesan and fresh ground pepper. The pasta was made fresh by a woman that uses only the ingredients she can buy at the market that week. She was really fun to talk to, and helped me decide which pasta to buy after I told her what I wanted to put in the dish.
Meal 3…another meal with Chef Jeff and Danielle. Danielle, Dave and I had spent the day in the garden, and wanted a fast dinner. I had gone to the market in the morning and picked up the morels, leeks and ramps. The onions were from the garden and Chef Jeff grilled the bratwurst.
Here’s the menu:
Morels sautéed in butter….truly the best way to eat them. The earthiness of the mushroom is so much better all alone. There’s no real way to describe the flavor.
Sautéed kale, leeks, ramps and Egyptian onions…just softened in butter over a low heat in a cast iron pan. The garlicky ramps paired really well with the morels.
Grilled bratwurst... 'nuf said.
Now they are pretty much gone for the season and we are left with only the memory of how freaking delicious they are. Until next spring, you delicious, delicious fungus.
FUN FACT: Morel mushrooms are the official state mushroom of Minnesota!
TRIVIA: Only one other state has an officially recognized mushroom... Can you name the state and the mushroom? And a good recipe for cooking it?
