While living in Astoria, my husband and I learned to love the arrival of fall rains. Why? Because rain rang in the mushroom foraging season. (No, not the psychedelic sort, but that question is frequently asked of us!) Nearly every weekend from September to late November we’d drive a mere two to ten miles from our home to troop through verdant forests, filling our lungs with high-oxygen air and breathing in the organic forest aromas. Plentiful chanterelles were the main attraction. Lobster mushrooms occasionally shouted out to us with their bright orange-red coloring, and the biggest prize was the infrequent sighting of my favorite—the elusive cauliflower mushroom.
“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” —Julia Child, Chef & Author
A spring mushroom arrival, morels, are not a staple of the coastal environment. Therefore, our tracking skills aren’t transferable to the valley. So should anyone be willing to hint, suggest, or even full-on reveal their prized morel hunting ground, I promise to share my winnings, cook a meal—heck, even award my first-born! (Just kidding, son.)
Happily, morels are plentiful in spring farmers’ markets around town. Buy just a few if the price per pound is prohibitive—a little goes a long way. Simple preparations are better; the full flavor of these earthy morsels is what you want to savor. I hope you’ll try the recipe below for a delicious morel mushroom sage-cream sauce. Bon appétit!
Susan Trabucco is a Beaumont-Wilshire resident who is passionate about cooking and tropical-ish gardening. Her wish for this regular column is to inspire the fearful to cook with abandon and the experienced to find a new “keeper” recipe. Cook on! For recipe questions or to submit your recipe ideas for this column, contact Susan (susan@trabucco.biz).
Morel Mushroom Sage-Cream Sauce
“Cook Like No One is Watching!” recipe adapted from Wild Mushrooms by Cynthia Nims
Serves 4 as a sauce for 1 lb of gnocchi
- ¼ c unsalted butter
- 2 Tbs thinly sliced fresh sage
- ¾ to 1 lb fresh morel mushrooms, cleaned and whole if small, halved if large
- ½ c whipping cream or heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated for serving
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and nutty smelling. Add the sage, stir quickly just until lightly crisped—about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and the liquid they emit has evaporated—6 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cream and just bring to a boil.
- Serve over gnocchi or chicken with a shaving of Parmesan, or even over ice cream. (Ha, ha….just seeing if you’re awake!)