Magical Mushrooms

On the prairie

In the Spring

There is a phenomenon 

And a rite

As we tramp through the woods

We search for the elusive

Morel

Some years are better than others

And found morels are guarded closely

And the spots you find them are secret

For you tell no one!

We've not been out and about

But a friend has!

And he has gifted us!

With a lovely bowl of morels

Which I made into chicken with morels

(it's an Ina recipe and she uses dried . . . but hey, it's much better with fresh ones!)

And since it was spring and asparagus is sprouting, roasted asparagus made the perfect side dish.

If it was a company meal, I would have served the asparagus as a separate course,

followed by the chicken and morels and perhaps some rice to soak up all that wonderful sauce!

And then, once again

Another and a bigger bowl full

Half I froze -- for I'll invite he and his wife over for dinner

And the rest . . .

I made into a creamy mushroom sauce for pasta

Husband Jim pronounced both delicious

And it does seem so like Spring

to once again have morels on our plates!

The pasta dish isn't a recipe as much as it is a method.

I browned the mushrooms in a bit of butter, then added a couple of cloves of garlic and a sprinkle of windowsill chives and sautéed with the mushrooms until I smelled the garlic.    Then I added some white wine (vermouth actually) just enough to deglaze the pan and cooked that down a bit, then a big really big pour of cream and simmered until the cream was thickened.    Then I threw in some Parmesan cheese.      It was fresh pasta (not made by me but made by Butoni -- from the grocery store) and once cooked, I threw it in the pan with the sauce and made sure the pasta was well coated.   I sprinkled some more cheese and chives on top and served.

The chicken is an Ina recipe and I've made it before and it is good.    

CHICKEN WITH MORELS

1 ounce dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water

       (I used all of the morels I had that day, cutting the bigger ones in half)

6 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

flour

1/4 c. clarified butter (I used regular with a splash of olive oil)

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 T. minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 cup Maderia

1 cup creme fraiche

1 cup heavy cream

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375

Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid.   Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone.    Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels.    Set aside.   (I omitted this step -- instead washing my mushrooms and drying with a paper towel)

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.    Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess.   Heat half the butter in a large sauté pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes.    Remove to an ovenproof casserole.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic.    Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly.    Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes.    Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 t. salt and 3/4 t. pepper.    Boil until mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.    Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.    To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce in the casserole and reheat slowly on top of the stove.

It is Friday and I"m joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.   It's been a while and it's nice to be back!