Fried morels: with potatoes, in a frying pan, recipes with photos

Many people believe that the quiet hunting season begins in the fall, and most housewives know well how to fry the chanterelles or saffron milk caps that appear in the forest at this time. However, there are mushrooms that can be collected in the spring. These are morels. They look completely different from the gifts of the forest we are used to, and therefore many cooks do not know how to cook morels. Meanwhile, they are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms, which means they require special preparation. Some mushroom pickers even call morels “fugu mushrooms,” since if the cooking technology is violated, they can be poisoned, while when cooked correctly, they turn into a real delicacy. Even a novice cook can successfully cope with this task if he has patience and does not violate the rules for preparing and cooking the above-mentioned mushrooms.

Cooking features, pre-boiling

• Morels, like any other mushrooms, cannot be collected in environmentally unfavorable areas, including near industrial facilities and highways. They absorb toxins that are almost impossible to rid them of later. Because of this property, even edible mushrooms grown in places with poor ecology can become poisonous.
• Morels can be heavily soiled with sand; insects and snails can hide in the folds of their caps and under them, and the latter are much more common. Therefore, before cooking, each mushroom must be carefully examined, removing all excess, and washed to ensure that it is free of sand. All these manipulations should be carried out carefully so as not to damage the fragile caps. The stems of morels are usually cut off, as they are very difficult to wash.
• After washing, the morels are soaked in cool water for an hour, then the water is drained and replaced with new one. The manipulation is done until the water remains clear. Sometimes once is enough, sometimes you have to soak the morels three or even four times.
• The washed morels are poured with cold water and brought to a boil. After cooking the mushrooms for several minutes, drain the water. Then the morels are poured with clean water, brought to a boil again and boiled, removing the foam that appears on the surface, for 20-30 minutes.
• The water in which the morels were boiled must be poured out, as it is not suitable for further use. The mushrooms themselves, placed in a colander or sieve, are washed with running water and allowed to drain.

Features of choosing ingredients

The morel is a long mushroom with impressive dimensions. The body of the “correct” morel is fleshy, but inside the shell the mushroom is hollow. The hat should be brown, egg-shaped and porous to the touch.

The main sign of spoilage or poor quality of a product is the presence of any extra substances inside the mushroom.

As mentioned earlier, the morel must be hollow inside the body. If you feel any substances that visually and to the touch resemble cotton, the mushroom is of poor quality. A reddish-brown color is also a good signal. Mushrooms of this color are poisonous and can pose a danger to human life and health.

Fried morels

Compound:

• prepared morels (boiled) – 0.5 kg;
• onions – 150 g;
• refined vegetable oil – 80 ml;
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Wash, soak and boil the morels for half an hour, rinse them, and allow the water to drain. Cut large specimens into 2 or even 4 parts.
• Peel the onion, cut into small cubes or quarter rings, not too thin.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms. Be sure to cover the pan with a lid, as the morels shoot a lot and even jump.
• Fry the mushrooms for 8-10 minutes, lifting the lid several times during this time and stirring the contents of the pan.
• After the specified time, salt the morels, pepper and add onions to them.
• Continue cooking the mushrooms for another 8-10 minutes, stirring the food from time to time.

Fried morels can be served as an independent appetizer or with a side dish. A good idea would be to supplement them with potatoes or buckwheat. Rice and pasta are also acceptable.

Morels in cream

Compound:

• boiled morels – 0.25 kg;
• refined vegetable oil – 40 ml;
• butter – 20 g;
• wheat flour – 20 g;
• cream – 100-120 ml;
• salt, pepper, nutmeg - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Rinse the boiled morels and cut into medium-sized pieces.
• Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add morels.
• Cover the pan with a lid and fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes.
• Salt and season the mushrooms, stir. Place a piece of butter on them.
• Close the pan again and reduce the heat under it.
• After 2-3 minutes, sprinkle the morels with flour, stir again, pour in the cream.
• Return the lid to its place, simmer the morels in cream for 7-8 minutes.

Vitamins

Morels with sour cream and cheese

Compound:

• boiled morels – 0.5 kg;
• onions – 0.2 kg;
• sour cream – 0.2 l;
• wheat flour – 40 g;
• butter – 50 g;
• hard cheese – 50 g;
• salt, seasonings - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Boil and cool the pre-washed and soaked morels. Cut them into small cubes.
• Remove the skins from the onions and finely chop them.
• Melt the butter in a deep frying pan, add the onion and fry it until caramelized.
• Add mushrooms, fry them for 7-8 minutes, covering the pan with a lid.
• Salt and season the mushrooms, sprinkle with flour, stir.
• Place sour cream in the pan with mushrooms. Let it boil. Simmer the mushrooms in it for 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the morels, along with the onions and sour cream, into a heat-resistant form or place in cocotte makers.
• Finely grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the food.
• Place the mold or cocotte bowls with mushrooms in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Leave in it for 10 minutes.

Morels prepared according to this recipe are similar to julienne. There is no shame in serving such an appetizer even at the holiday table.

Morels with potatoes in a frying pan

Compound:

• boiled morels – 0.3 kg;
• young potatoes – 0.6 kg;
• onions – 100 g;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• refined vegetable oil - how much will be needed;
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Cut the finished morels into medium-sized cubes.
• Wash the new potatoes thoroughly using the rough side of the sponge. Cut each tuber in half or into 4 pieces. Boil in salted water until half cooked. Drain the water.
• Remove the peel from the onion and cut into small cubes.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, put the onion in it, after 2 minutes add the mushrooms and fry them together with the onion under the lid for 7 minutes. Remember to stir the food occasionally to prevent it from burning.
• Salt and pepper the mushrooms, add garlic passed through a press. Fry them for another minute, then transfer to a plate.
• Add a little oil to the frying pan and place the potatoes in it. Fry it until golden brown.
• Add mushrooms to potatoes and stir.
• Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the flame intensity.

What are the benefits of morel mushrooms?

Since ancient times, such forest mushrooms have been considered a powerful medicine. By eating morels, you can improve the condition of the immune system, cope with various joint diseases, forget about rheumatism and more. Previously, healers used them to treat serious eye diseases. In particular, we are talking about myopia and farsightedness.

For medicinal purposes, it is necessary to eat properly prepared morels almost every day for 3-6 months. It is important to follow culinary technology and the order of heat treatment of the product, and for this you need to know a couple of secrets:

• Morel caps are very fragile and crumble a little if you are not careful with them. That is why mushroom pickers recommend carefully placing them in each other’s baskets, and during the washing process, process each mushroom separately.
• The cellular structure of the caps of such forest mushrooms makes them not only a place for dust and small debris to accumulate, but also a cozy home for insects. It is quite difficult to knock all this content out of morels even under running water, so it is best to soak them for several hours. The secret is that you need to place these mushrooms in a bowl with their legs up. This will make it easier for insects to get out, and the sand will spill out faster.
• Before eating morels or using them as an ingredient in various dishes, such gifts of the forest must not only be thoroughly washed, but also boiled twice. Legs are eaten extremely rarely due to their toughness, so it is better to get rid of such a part immediately. If you do this immediately after washing, there is a risk of damaging and slightly crumbling your valuable cap. It is better to cut off the stems after the first cooking, when the morels become dense and will not fall apart.

Morel soup

Compound:

• boiled morels – 150-200 g;
• potatoes – 0.5 kg;
• carrots – 100 g;
• onions – 100 g;
• refined vegetable oil – 30 ml;
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste;
• bay leaf – 1 pc.;
• water – 2 l;
• fresh herbs, sour cream (optional) - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into one and a half centimeter cubes.
• Scrub the carrots, wash and dry with a napkin. Grind the vegetable using a large-hole grater.
• Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes.
• Wash the morels, soak them, boil them, rinse them. When the mushrooms are dry, cut them into small cubes.
• Heat oil in a frying pan, add onions and carrots. Fry the vegetables until golden brown. Add mushrooms to them, stir.
• Cover the pan with a lid. Fry mushrooms with onions and carrots for 5 minutes.
• Cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Add vegetables with mushrooms, salt and spices. Continue cooking the soup for another 10 minutes.
• Season the soup with sour cream and finely chopped herbs. Allow the food to simmer for 2-3 minutes to prevent it from spoiling, then remove the pan from the heat.

Before serving, the soup should be allowed to simmer, covered, for 10-20 minutes to make it more flavorful. The first dish prepared according to this recipe will become even tastier if you replace the water with mushroom or chicken broth.

Date: 04/22/2020.

How and why to cook morels before frying?

We have already found out that soaking morels helps to get rid of the toxic acids contained in such mushrooms. All that remains is to figure out whether it is necessary to boil morels before frying. Any experienced mushroom picker will confidently answer this question in the affirmative.

As you know, all wild mushrooms are usually boiled before frying, adding to soup or carrying out other heat treatments. In boiling water, morels finally get rid of harmful substances. To begin with, the mushrooms must be thoroughly washed, changing the water several times. Then they will have to be left in cold water upside down for at least an hour. If you salt the water in which they stand, this will help the product acquire a more piquant taste and speed up the process of removing toxic acid.

Morels do not need to be thrown into boiling water. Place the pan with the mushrooms and the cold water in which they were soaked over medium heat, bring to a boil, and then cook for another 7 minutes. No matter how fragrant the first mushroom broth is, you will have to get rid of it. Next, you will need to rinse each mushroom again. There may still be some sand left in the pores. This is the best time to finally get rid of them. Then you need to put the mushrooms back into the saucepan and add a new portion of cold water, add a pinch of salt. This time, after boiling, they should be cooked for 20 minutes.

Only after all these manipulations can the valuable ingredient be transferred to a colander to drain the excess liquid and left in this position for a while.