Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tagliatelle with Morels

Tagliatelle with Morels

Sherry's folks, who live in Washington State near Mt. Rainier, go foraging for morel mushrooms every spring. Their success varies from year to year, but this past spring they hit the mother lode. What they don't consume immediately, they dry for later use - some of which get sent to grateful non-foragers like ourselves.

Unable to restrain ourselves, we decided to use about a third of our mushroom care package in a single go. Sherry whipped up a batch of fresh tagliatelle and we measured out about an ounce of the dried mushrooms (they are very light):

Tagliatelle with Morels

After reconstituting them in some warm water and then squeezing them dry, they are ready to use just like fresh ones.

Tagliatelle with Morels

Like most mushrooms, Morels have an affinity for butter. We fried them up with a little garlic and salt until lightly browned in spots.

Tagliatelle with Morels

Stir in a few tablespoons of cream, sprinkles of Pecorino Romano, black pepper and fresh parsley and you have a finished sauce, just lightly coating the pasta.

Tagliatelle with Morels

Tagliatelle with Morels. Earthy, nutty and rich tasting. We have a limited supply of morels, but we just may have to make this dish again.

Tagliatelle with Morels

Here is the recipe that Sherry improvised:

Tagliatelle with Morels

Serves 2.

6 ounces fresh tagliatelle
approx 1 ounce dried morel mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
3-4 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Rehydrate the mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for about 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze them to remove excess water. Place on a towel to dry a few minutes. (Keep the soaking water for use in other recipes.)

Heat a pan over medium high, add butter, garlic and morels. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook until mushrooms are browned in spots. Drop the fresh pasta into boiling, salted water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the mushroom heat to low, stir in the cream and heat gently 1-2 minutes to thicken slightly. Add the cheese, parsley and black pepper. Slowly add the cooked, drained pasta and toss to coat evenly with sauce. Divide into warm bowls and serve immediately.

6 comments:

  1. Umm, being close to a wild mushroom source ( and Morels) makes it seem feasible to move to the NW.

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  2. Tell me about it - I did a quick search and online vendors want $15 an ounce or more for dried morels...

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  3. I've never had morels before but they look so intriguing> All those nooks and crannies must be great for soaking up the cream sauce!

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  4. Hi Rayrena,
    Yeah, I love morels with a nice cream sauce, but with fresh morels my favorite style was a simple toss in seasoned flour and then fried in butter. Ah, but that was YEARS ago, when I lived in the NorthWest as a kid. We just don't get fresh ones here.....

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  5. Wonderful post and pictures. The pasta looks delicious. Sadly enough, I've never tried morels before, but I'll have to keep my eyes open.

    I have started a blog, and hope you will stop by and tell me what you think.

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  6. Hi mothermayi - congrats on starting the blog! I've enjoyed reading what you've written so far, and look forward to future posts.

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