(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Mushrooms, and what to do with them. Street Prophets Sunday [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-30 With that limited window, for a mushroom that’s near impossible to cultivate, morels are a prize. And the season can be unpredictable. One year I picked fifteen pounds, and left that much behind. One year I picked three mushrooms. Last year was pretty good. My cousin took most of them, about three or four pounds, and I kept another pound for my own use. This year, so far, there have been maybe two pounds. (Morels are hollow, so it takes a fair amount to add up.) So what do we do with those mushrooms? You can’t eat a morel fresh; it has to be cooked or you’ll have some digestive issues. Most people fry them fresh, but their flavor is intense, maybe too intense for me to eat like that. Karen, my cousin, makes an asparagus and mushroom risotto. She’s the star of her neighborhood during mushroom season. When freshly popped up from the ground, they feel very moist and spongy. The small black morels. Karen’s Asparagus/Mushroom Risotto Ingredients 3 ½ cups chicken stock ¼ cup olive oil, or more to taste, divided ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided ½ pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces on the bias ⅓ pound fresh morel mushrooms, halved 1 shallot, minced 1 cup Arborio rice ¼ cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 ½ tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (Optional) Directions Place chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter starts to bubble. Add asparagus and morel mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with any accumulated juices. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same saucepan. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in arborio rice and cook until it starts to toast, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in thyme. Pour 1/4 cup simmering stock over rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock until rice is tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms with their juices and continue cooking until flavors combine, about 3 minutes more. Remove rice from heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil before serving. I’m not a fan of asparagus. I suppose if it was all that kept me from starving, maybe I’d eat it, but I’d never like it. I do a couple of different things with my mushrooms. Mostly, I’ll dry them, to use during the winter. Dried mushrooms keep for several months. I’ve always strung them on crochet cotton and hung them to dry, with cheesecloth draped over them to keep the dust off—and to catch any spores shed while drying, to be returned to the woods. This year, I’m going to try dehydrating in my air fryer. We’ll see how that goes. When I cook with the mushrooms, either fresh or dried, I use them in sauces. Cream sauce with nutmeg over fresh fettuccine is one favorite. The following recipe for a wine sauce to go over filet has been going around. I may try that, too, either with fresh or dried mushrooms. With dried mushrooms, just soak them in water to barely cover them for about 15 minutes, drain, and use them like a fresh mushroom. Filet Steak with Morel and Wine Sauce The picture looks yum! I’m going to try this soon. My friend Jenny in Glasgow has it on her to-be-cooked list, too, although she’ll either have to use ordinary grocery mushrooms or order morels from a specialty store. For those of you who can’t forage for mushrooms, you can order dried morels online. They are pricey, but then a dried shroom doesn’t weigh very much so you might be getting a good amount. I don’t pick any other variety of mushroom. There isn’t one single thing you can confuse with a morel, so you’re always safe. That isn’t true with most any other fungus you can forage. So for me, it’s morels or else what I can pick up at the local supermarket. Alas. Do you have a favorite way to prepare morels? Or any other mushroom? And while you’re here, check out this week’s Community Needs List. 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