M0RELS

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does anyone hunt m0rels?

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:33 (twenty-one years ago)

definiti0n please?

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

[MOD EDIT: do not click this link, the mushy page is no longer there and has an embedded virus in it} I googleproofed it because m0rel hunters are pretty intense and I didn't want another round of pimp my mushroom. [MOD EDIT #2 - link now removed. I don't think there's much need for a link to a virus really...]

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I hunt them ardently up and down the farmers' markets of Manhattan.

Last year also the cashier at the dumb gourmet shoppe rang them up as plain old MUSHRM and I got a pound for $2.99. I wish I had bought ten pounds.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

That's exactly what happened to me the first time I bought them, at a middling-to-upscale grocery store in New Orleans -- and it was the last time I saw them there, which I tend to think is not coincidence.

The last time I picked mushrooms in the wild, I ended up thinking I had grown an extra head which was sliding down my shoulder, but in a bad way, so I'll leave true M0r3l hunting to the experts.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

that is a beautiful story paul.

I went for a walk in the woods yesterday and kinda looked but not too hard, I think it may still be a bit too cold, although I am seeing mayapples and trillium.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG I would DIE if I found m0rels for that price!!!!! I haven't had any in YEARS; I must remedy this.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 12 April 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Now I'm craving them too. I used mine in a batch of empanadas filled with roasted m0rels and sauced with pea-sh00t puree; that was really nice and made the vegetarians happy.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Tep, you can definitely find them in your area, I have tons of family around there who are dedicated hunters. This site is kind of neat for tracking sightings, although they don't have any for indiana yet.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yes, recipies pls. I have only just breaded and fried mine.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

how are they? like what makes them nicer than just plain old mushrooms?

(I really like mushrooms)

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I see them at the grocery store more often here (especially lately) so figured they must get them locally ...

I've done them sauteed with steak, and with wild rice. If I were to get some now, I suspect I'd probably do a risotto (and put some wild rice in; no, I know you don't make risotto with wild rice; but cooking some wild rice separately, and then stirring that into the risotto at the end, I think that'd be good).

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

a risotto does sound nice. Ronan, they're tasty mushrooms, I don't know what to say beyond that. Also I kind of forget from season to season. They are almost as fun to hunt as they are to eat, I just love stomping around in the woods.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

shrooms! awesome duded!

― animal, Monday, 12 April 2004 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread must be stopped for the sake of public decency

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Cream of m0rel soup is amazing. Generally they go very nicely with fatty things and with bready yeasty things. When I lived in Oregon I used to get a m0rel butter that made everything delicious. They also stand up to big sauces in a way that's more typical of meat, which can be nice. I made m0rel m0le tac0s once and would do it again.

Mushroom risottos never have enough mushroom for me, but I trust Tep to do it right.

xpost: gabbneb, you need to make the "imm0rel behavior" pun.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

they do look a little indecent.

http://www.mistymt.com/images/fresh/morel.jpg

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

they look kinda gross

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

hundreds of them grew in the backyard where I lived when I was little - we used to eat them with a cream/butter sauce on toast.

― Kim (Kim), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I used mine in a batch of empanadas filled with roasted m0rels and sauced with pea-sh00t puree

recipe, please!!

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i think i would probably enjoy eating them, but preparing them might put me off, if they really do look like that.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:38 (twenty-one years ago)

It's better than huitlacoche, man.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

(Or as I call it in my head, "weedle coochie.")

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never had huitlacoche, how is it?

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

they look like alien eggs!

xpost

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never had huitlacoche either, unfortunately -- I've only seen it sold in Texas, and the only times I've been in Texas was with the now-ex who, although adventurous, wasn't willing to try it.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

alien eggs, yeah. but their uh.. webbiness is great for picking up sauces though.

― Kim (Kim), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

back in Iowa hunting m0rels is the spring thing! We had 'em growing on our front lawn one year, for real - soooooo awesome.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 12 April 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Huitlacoche (aka 'corn smut') has a great texture but the flavor is pretty subtle. A smoky meaty flavor, I guess you'd say. It's really nice as a featured ingredient in omelets or flautas; too often misused or underused as a garnish in restaurants. Goya sells a canned version which I haven't tried. The fresh stuff can be hard to find (in shops) but definitely bears experimentation.

Lauren, I will take a stab at notes toward an empanada recipe when I have a moment.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

OH MY GOD I AM SO HUNGRY FOR THEM NOW

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 12 April 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul ditto on the morel and pea sprout empanada recipe. Sounds exquisite.

― Michael White (Hereward), Monday, 12 April 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm feeling similarly allcapsy for them also; I just want to ditch work and go walking now.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 15:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Hm. I wish I remembered more details. I know, I should write everything down. Basically you start by making a nice not-too-short empanada dough using any of the fine recipes out there. Adding ale gives the dough a great flavor.

For the filling: cut all the m0rels in half lengthwise. You can add an equal amount of chopped cheaper mushrooms to stretch the recipe. Divide all the mixed mushrooms into two groups. One you'll toss with flour or breadcrumbs, then pan-roast at high heat for not too long until they brown; then deglaze with a splash of stock and a bit of sherry vinegar. The other group gets slow-cooked in butter in a covered pan, with scallions, garlic, parsley, and maybe a dash of nutmeg; when they're soft, add just a little cream and cook a little longer. Combine the two groups.

Put the filling in the empanadas. I like making mini-empanadas because they're cuter. Bake the empanadas.

For the sauce, saute pea shoots with garlic and maybe a little ginger in oil until they wilt. Then puree them in a food processor, adding a drop of rice vinegar and stock or cream or butter until the texture's right. Spoon it over the empanadas. Garnish with fresh pea shoots.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, salt the filling and the sauce, of course.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

thanks! i might try that out tomorrow night, as i'm on dinner party duty. i've like to do something similar to the filling, but with some red wine and minus the cream, as a topping for meaty, white-fleshed fish.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 12 April 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Sounds nice! A chef I worked with used a buttery m0rel sauce on edamame-crusted wild sea bass. White wine base, though, I'm pretty sure.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

it's really good pairing. i think i used red wine, though, because i just dumped in whatever i was drinking (a barbera d'asti, iirc) at the time.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 12 April 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

You guyz are crepey

― Lil' Fancy Kpants (The K is Silent) (ex machina), Monday, 12 April 2004 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll second Darn1elle's report that mushroom-hunting is THE spring thing to do in Iowa. And anybody trying to tail me to MY morel spot had better be ready for a wild goose chase!

― briania, Monday, 12 April 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

mmm. morel crepes.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 12 April 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Are dried ones worth buying, btw? I see them much more frequently (they've had them both times I went to Jungle Jim's in WKRP, at two different times of the year), and I would assume they're cheaper.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 12 April 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

that empenada recipe is so fantastic

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 12 April 2004 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, respect.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 12 April 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

They are great, and they have them in the woods around my best friend's place (it's great, they've actually constructed a mushroom shrine out in the woods about which morels can be found every year), but I think that they won't be around there for another couple weeks.

― Dan I., Monday, 12 April 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Aw, thanks.

The dried ones are okay but not really comparable flavorwise. If you ever see smoked dried ones though, snap them up.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 12 April 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd just fry them in a little butter, a tuiny bit of garlic and then maybe squeeze a little lemon juice in and sprinkle some chopped parsley. and have that on some nice bread that's been toasted.

or a very plain risotto.

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

I GOT SOME.

No, I didn't hunt them or anything, but one of the stores had local ones, $30/pound. I've really spent all the splurgey money I should spend for right now, so I didn't get many and I'll likely freeze some of them, but still. I got some.

(The ones I'd mentioned above having seen locally, I hadn't looked closely enough: they were dried, they were just displayed with the loose fresh mushrooms. These are fresh.)

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 13 May 2004 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Warning: bug & critter talk:

My God are they dirty. The ones I got the one time in New Orleans must have been already cleaned; these, a brief soak in saltwater turned the water toilet-disaster-brown, and there were at least a dozen maggots or maggot-like worms. This might be the real benefit to the dried ones, not having to deal with this.

Yeah, I know I'm all bigging up bug-eating elsethread, but even so.

The girlfriend's not sure how she'll like them, since they're all weird looking; she's not as big a fan of mushrooms as I am, although she doesn't dislike them. I gave her the option of having them sauteed alongside steak or on pasta with bacon and shallots, and we're going with the latter, which nicely makes use of Indiana's extraordinary local bacon.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 13 May 2004 18:53 (twenty-one years ago)

congrats tep! I never did go hunting--when the time came, I was all wrapped up in other things. :( nothing like morel season to make you aware of your mortality.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

flavor them with a drop or two of truffle oil.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

and pour yourself a glass of grange while you're at it

― the surface noise of psychotic badassery (electricsound), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:01 (twenty-one years ago)

We ended up going with steak after all at the last minute -- morels + shallots + bacon = a very good combination. The frozen ones I will probably use to make risotto when we have company sometime.

For one of the only times in my life I wished I had some red wine.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently they were growing in our yard last year.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 14 May 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I adore mushrooms but god I dont think I could eat those ones, they look creepy :/

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 14 May 2004 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

anybody looking this year?

― teeny (teeny), Saturday, 15 April 2006 22:54 (nineteen years ago)

in paris, i had Suprême de poulet velouté de morilles at Polidor. it fucking ruled.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

I wish I knew anywhere to look. I should explore my parents' land sometime. (But not during deer season.) Do morels grow in pretty much any damp climate?

When I worked in NoCal, one of the guys back in the bindery dept. quit every year at morel time to go hunting-gathering in Oregon. Made a lot more that way, and he was such a good worker that the company always hired him back after the season was over.

― pixel farmer (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:07 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm, I see I might as well not bother.

― pixel farmer (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

clicking on the link at the top of the page has just infected my computer with a virus wtf

― danny invincible (michael w.), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:18 (nineteen years ago)

yeah don't click that link

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:23 (nineteen years ago)

My friend's family has a sort've swampy woods area that just crawls with them around this time of year. They have a foot high ceramic mushroom idol that the morels actually seem to be drawn to.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:28 (nineteen years ago)

x-post. it's a bit late for that. any info on that virus?

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:31 (nineteen years ago)

Morels grow like crazy around Knoxville

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 15 April 2006 23:35 (nineteen years ago)

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