Sunday, April 27, 2008

Mushrooms!


Well, here it is, in all its glory; the first mushroom. I found it on April 22nd. Seems a little late, but conditions had to be just right. Enough rain, enough heat at night to make them germinate. We've only found a few more. Hardly enough to fill a skillet.

Morels are hollow in the middle. Once picked, you cut them in half, rinse them and put them in the fridge in a bowl of salt water to kill any bugs. Once you've collected enough for a batch, rinse them and lay them out on paper towels to dry. Then, dredge them in flour seasoned with some salt and pepper. I like to fry them in a combination of butter-flavored Crisco and margarine. Most people use straight butter or margarine, but it can't handle the high heat. I cook them till they are a golden brown. Drain on paper toweling and serve either on bread or straight off the plate. Either way, they're delicious!

1 comment:

Michele Scaparrotti said...

Oh Carol,
This was not fair. I haven't had morals in years. My Grandmother Brown used to fix them just as you describe. She also sometimes fixed them with scrambled eggs. Wow! What a treat they are.
I enjoy all you write. Michele