Preparing Morels for the Dinner Table We’re sure most of you will have a preferred method or precise recipe to prepare your morels for the dinner table. If not we have included a few recipes. The most common way to cook morels is to fry or saute’ them in real butter (not margarine). Preheat a skillet over medium - medium low heat. Add butter until bottom of the skillet is covered with melted butter. Approximately ½ stick for ½ pound. (Another option is to add a little onion or garlic with the butter). Add morels. The morels will fry down so you can start out with a quite a few in your pan. Add more butter if needed while frying along with a dash of pepper. Turn morels occasionally. They will begin to pop and crackle, turning a deep golden/brown color when they’re done. They are great to eat plain or on a piece of lightly buttered bread. Recipes Bacon & Morels (our personal favorite)!! Use any amount of morels and one-fourth as much bacon. Cut bacon into small pieces. Fry at medium high heat until bacon is done, but leave grease in pan. Do not turn heat down. (Bacon will not get any crispier after morels are added due to the morel’s moisture content-this is the secret). Add morels. Liquid will become “soupy”. Cook until liquid is gone and the morels begin to pop and crackle. Drain. Excellent by themselves or over a juicy steak! Jason’s Morel Treats Ingredients: One pound of cleaned, sliced morels Two eggs ¼ cup of milk One cup of all purpose white flour One cup of crushed white saltine crackers One stick of real butter Salt & Pepper Instructions: Prepare a bowl with one cup of all purpose white flour, add crushed white saltine crackers. Whip 2 eggs in separate bowl; add ¼ cup of milk. In a large skillet, melt ½ stick of butter over medium heat. Dip sliced morels in the bowl of eggs/milk & then in the bowl of flour/crackers. Add coated morels to large skillet. (It may be necessary to add additional butter as the morels cook.) Saute’ sliced morels until golden brown & tender. Salt & pepper to taste. Brett’s Easy Way Out Ingredients: One pound of cleaned, sliced morels Two eggs One cup of all purpose white flour One stick of real butter Salt & pepper Instructions: Prepare a bowl with all purpose white flour. Prepare a second bowl with two whipped eggs. Melt ½ stick of butter over medium low heat in a large skillet. Dip sliced morels in whipped eggs. Roll sliced morels covered in whipped egg in white flour. Add coated morels to large skillet. Saute’ over medium low heat until golden/brown & tender. (It may be necessary to add more butter as the morels cook. Salt & pepper to taste. Morel Mushroom Pizza Ingredients: ½ pound of fresh sliced morels One medium-size red bell pepper One medium-size green bell pepper One tbsp. Olive Oil One tsp. Of chopped fresh Rosemary One, 10 oz pizza crust (purchased baked) 1 can of pizza sauce One cup of shredded Fontana cheese One cup of Mozzarella cheese ½ cup of red onion (sliced) Instructions: Char bell peppers until blacked on all sides. Enclose in a paper bag for 10 minutes. Peel, de-seed, & thinly slice peppers. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add sliced morels & Rosemary. Cover morels & allow to cook until golden/brown & tender. Remove cover; allowing all juice to evaporate. Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. Top with pizza sauce, sliced peppers, onion, morels, and cheeses(s). Bake pizza until heated through (15 to 20 minutes). Slice & serve. Jesse's Winter Soup Begin by sauteeing, in a saucepan or wok, over medium heat by adding: 1/4 lb. or 1 stick of real butter, 2 lbs. of diced mushrooms (morel or other), 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of paprika. Cook until moisture is consumed by the mushrooms (approx. 15-20 minutes) then: ADD - 1 cup of water if using dehydrated morels OR, ADD - 1/4 cup of milk diluted with 1/4 cup of water if you are using fresh. Continue sauteeing mushrooms until rubbery and all of the moisture is again consumed, about 30-35 minutes. If dehydrated mushrooms are used you may need to lower the heat and add in a little more of the milk/water combination to insure mushrooms are saturated and then completely cooked. Next, add into a 6 qt. pan the following: 2 - family sized cans of cream of mushroom soup, 1 - pint of half and half, 1/2 - pint of heavy whipping cream, 1 - teaspoon curry. Cook this mushroom broth over medium heat until it starts to skim over then cover and reduce to low heat until the mushroom above are cooked. Next add the contents from the first step into the second step pan. Reduce the heat and simmer until desired. About 1 1/2 hrs. make excellent soup although it is edible in much less time than that. Continue cooking until thickened or simply add corn starch dissolved in cold water or soup thickener to the desired consistency. Note: With all food products there is a possibility of an allergic reaction. If you are trying morels for the first time, please try a small portion. Wait 24 hrs. If no side effects consume larger quantities.