How to cook morels: delicious recipes with photos

Not every lover of quiet hunting has come across morel mushrooms that appear in the forests in the spring, as soon as the last snowdrifts have time to melt. They are distinguished by their amazing appearance, which, if unknowingly, can push you away from collecting them. And it's not so easy to cook morels. Moreover, they contain toxic substances in their fruit bodies, which must be properly removed. On the other hand, in terms of their gustatory qualities, for many morels seem to be tastier than white ones, they are often placed on the same level with gourmet truffles.

How to remove sand from morels

Morels are difficult to confuse with any other mushrooms, since at this time of the year they have no competitors, except that their closest relatives are lines. With their original appearance with a wrinkled olive-brown hat covered with a mesh pattern, they attract and, at the same time, repel inexperienced mushroom pickers. But if you know how to cook morels correctly and tasty, you can also get a healthy dish. The ancestors used this mushroom to combat vision problems, in particular with clouding of the crystals of the eye.

Despite their useful and delicious properties, morels are usually classified as conditionally edible. They should never be eaten raw. Any culinary treatment of these mushrooms involves their preliminary soaking and boiling.

But morels are also distinguished by the fact that tiny insects are very fond of settling in them. They also often grow on sandy soil and, due to their peculiar structure, are often clogged with dust and sand. At the same time, mushrooms are characterized by increased fragility, any awkward movement will lead to the fact that they can break, or even crumble into hundreds of small pieces.

Therefore, you should not immediately free the mushrooms from sand and debris - there may be too much waste.

Experienced mushroom pickers advise you to first fill them with cold water with the addition of salt and hold in it for some time. Moreover, the mushrooms must be laid out in a container with their legs up - this will make it easier for insects to get out of them. During this period, the main batch of bugs will safely get out and leave the fruiting bodies. Then the water with morels is placed on medium heat and after boiling, boil for about 10-15 minutes. The water is drained without fail, and the mushrooms themselves are thoroughly washed under cold water, thereby freeing them from the initial portion of sand and other forest debris.

And already boiled mushrooms can be easily sorted out, freeing from the remaining insects and other litter. Legs from them are rarely eaten, since they do not have such a delicious taste as hats. They are usually cut off and thrown away.

Before putting the mushrooms in water for the second boil, they are thoroughly rinsed again under running cold water.

How to cook morel mushrooms so they don't taste bitter

Unlike many lamellar mushrooms with frankly bitter milky juice, morels do not differ in similar properties. They just contain toxic substances that, when boiled, leave the fruiting bodies and pass into the water. It is for this reason that they practice not even single, but double boiling them.

Water should be ruthlessly poured out after each procedure. The cooking time can be up to 60-80 minutes in total. Although some consider it sufficient to boil morels the first time for 10-15 minutes, and the second time bring the boiling time to 20-30 minutes.

After the second boiling, the mushrooms are washed again in cool water, and they can be considered ready for culinary preparation: frying, baking, stewing, pickling. Questions about how to cook morels should no longer arise - you can simply choose any of the recipes for cooking mushrooms described below and act decisively further. Any dish made of morels will be worthy of the royal table in terms of its taste.

How to cook morel mushrooms

If you follow all the preliminary preparation tips described above, then morels are otherwise prepared in the same way as many other mushrooms. You just need to take into account their delicate structure and not get too carried away with spices and spices. After all, it is better not to interrupt the special mushroom aroma emanating from morels.

How to cook fresh morels from the forest

Above has already been given a detailed description of how to cook fresh morels brought from the forest.

You should not spare time and effort and limit yourself to a single cooking. It is better to play it safe and cook the mushrooms in two passes, each time pouring out the broth in which they were boiled.

In both the first and second cases, it is better to use salted water (for 1 liter of water - one incomplete tablespoon of salt). In the first case, this will help to additionally get rid of the living inhabitants of the mushroom fruit bodies (spiders, caterpillars, bugs), and in the second case, it will improve their taste properties.

The process of pre-soaking is also important (at least for an hour). This is necessary so that a larger number of living creatures have time to leave the mushrooms even before the start of cooking. It is equally important to initially pour morels with cold water, and not boiling water, so that they have time to give the water a larger amount of possible toxins.

How to cook dried morels

Surprisingly, morels, considered conditionally edible mushrooms, can be dried. True, they can be eaten only not earlier than 3 months after the end of the drying process. It is during this period that the poisons contained in the mushrooms have time to completely evaporate.

Before preparing any dishes from dried morels at home, the mushrooms are first soaked, leaving in warm water for 40-60 minutes.

The water is drained, poured with fresh salted water and boiled, maintaining a boil for at least 10 minutes. The resulting broth is again drained without fail, and the mushrooms can be used to prepare any delicacy.

How to cook frozen morels

Before freezing, morels are always boiled, be sure to drain the water. Therefore, after defrosting, when they acquire the usual consistency of freshly boiled mushrooms at room temperature, they can be used in cooking according to any of the recipes.

They can also be defrosted on the lower shelf of the refrigerator compartment. If you put mushrooms there in the evening, then in the morning you can already start preparing the desired dish.

Delicious morel recipes

Morel dishes can be very varied, and recipes include both everyday meals and snacks intended for the holiday table.

How to cook Korean morels

This recipe can attract not only lovers of Asian cuisine, but also anyone who loves pickled mushroom snacks.

You will need:

• 700 g boiled morels according to all the rules;
• 2 heads of onions;
• 2 tbsp. l. rice vinegar;
• about 50 ml of vegetable oil;
• 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
• ½ tsp each. peppers, red and black ground;
• 2 tsp Sahara;
• 1 bay leaf;
• salt to taste;
• a couple of cloves of garlic - to taste and desire.

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the onion and fry in a hot frying pan.
2. Prepared boiled morels are cut into medium-sized slices and attached to the onion.
3. The total frying time is about 10 minutes.
4. Pour in vinegar, soy sauce, add spices and salt.
5. Mix well and remove from heat.
6. Transfer the snack to a ceramic or glass dish.
   Comment! At this stage, you can add pieces of garlic to the dishes.
7. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.
8. After this time, Korean-style morels can be put on the table and enjoy an unforgettable taste.

How to cook morels with eggs

The dish prepared according to this recipe will help to diversify the everyday menu and add a zest to the atmosphere of the festive table.

You will need:

• 300 g fresh morels;
• 5 chicken eggs;
• 100 g sour cream;
• vegetable oil for frying;
• 1 bunch of greens (parsley or dill);
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Fresh mushrooms are traditionally boiled twice in boiling water, always draining the water.
2. Rinse in cold water and allow excess liquid to drain in a colander.
3. Cut into halves or quarters and sauté in a hot skillet with oil until an attractive blush.
4. Eggs are broken in a deep heat-resistant bowl, supplemented with sour cream, salt and spices to taste and beat well.
5. Add the sautéed morels to the egg mixture and put everything on moderate heat.
6. With constant stirring, prepare the dish until it becomes thick. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs on top.
7. Served hot.

How to cook delicious morels with sour cream

It will be very tasty to just fry the morels with the addition of onions and sour cream.

You will need:

• 500 g of boiled morels;
• 2 onions;
• 120 g sour cream;
• 50 ml of vegetable oil;
• salt and black pepper to taste.

Cooking will not be difficult:

1. In a frying pan, fry the onion cut into rings until translucent.
2. Add mushrooms, fry for about 6-8 minutes.
3. Season with sour cream, spices and simmer over low heat for another quarter of an hour.

How to cook morel soup

It is unlikely that it will be possible to cook soup directly from morels, since these mushrooms do not give broth. But as the main flavoring and flavoring additive, for example, to creamy asparagus soup, they are great.

To make asparagus soup with fresh morels, you will need:

• 600 g asparagus;
• 200 g of prepared and pre-boiled morels;
• 2 large potatoes;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 pieces of leeks;
• 3.5 liters of water;
• 4-5 st. l. olive oil;
• ¼ h. L. freshly ground black pepper;
• 2 tbsp. l. cream;
• ¼ h. L. salt.

Preparation:

1. Cut the leeks and carrots into thin rings.
2. The potatoes are peeled and cut into cubes.
3. The asparagus stalks are cut into several pieces, the most tender tops are set aside for now.
4. Most of the vegetables are poured with water and boiled for about 20-30 minutes after the water boils.
5. The mushrooms are cut into pieces and sautéed in boiling olive oil along with a portion of leek rings, carrots and tender asparagus tops until crisp.
6. Place ¾ of mushrooms in a saucepan with boiled vegetables, add spices and salt, bring to a boil.
7. Beat the soup with a hand blender, add cream, mix.
8. The rest of the fried morels with vegetables are added and the finished soup is poured into plates.

How to cook baked morel mushrooms with potatoes

An ordinary morel casserole with potatoes is distinguished by an unforgettable mushroom taste.

You will need:

• 1000 g of boiled morels;
• 800 g potatoes;
• 150 g of hard cheese;
• 3 tbsp.l. mayonnaise and sour cream;
• a pinch of white and black ground peppers;
• some vegetable oil to grease the baking sheet;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices, and the mushrooms into small slices.
2. Grease a baking sheet with oil and lay potatoes and pieces of mushrooms on it in layers.
3. The cheese is grated on a fine grater, mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream, salt and spices are added.
4. The resulting mixture is coated with mushrooms and potatoes on top.
5. Bake in an oven preheated to + 180 ° C for about 40 minutes.

This dish goes well with a salad made from fresh vegetables.

How to cook morel mushrooms in dough

This amazing appetizer is good both hot and cold. It can be served with mustard sauce, or simply eaten by sprinkling with chopped herbs.

You will need:

• about 400 g of boiled morel caps;
• 100 ml of milk;
• 1 egg;
• about 100 g flour;
• a pinch of spices: turmeric, ground pepper, grated ginger, salt;
• sunflower oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Mix milk, eggs and flour in a deep bowl. In consistency, the resulting mixture should resemble thick sour cream.
2. Add spices, knead thoroughly.
3. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil to a boil.
4. Each morel cap is dipped in the prepared batter, after which it is fried on all sides in oil.
5. Spread out on a paper towel to drain off excess fat.

Monastic morel recipe

To cook morels according to the original old recipe, you need to collect mushrooms of different sizes, large and small.

You will need:

• 500 g pre-boiled morels;
• 2 eggs;
• 1 tbsp. l. flour;
• 2 tbsp. l. butter;
• 2 tbsp. l. chopped parsley;
• salt and spices to taste.

Preparation:

1. The largest mushrooms are immediately laid aside.
2. Smaller ones should be chopped and fried in butter with the addition of flour and spices.
3. Boil hard-boiled eggs, cut them into small cubes.
4. Mix with fried morels, add greens.
5. The largest morels are stuffed with the resulting filling and fried in butter until golden brown.

Morel Pie Recipe

It should already be clear how to cook morels with various ingredients, but this recipe with a photo will describe step by step the process of making a delicious pie with these unique mushrooms.

You will need:

• 600 g morels;
• 3 cups flour;
• 250 g butter;
• 2 chicken eggs;
• 0.5 tsp soda;
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar;
• 150 g sour cream;
• 1 bunch of dill;
• sunflower oil for frying;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Mushrooms are soaked and traditionally boiled in two waters.
2. Then cut into small pieces and fry in oil for a quarter of an hour until golden brown.
3. Pour in sour cream and set aside for soaking.
   
4. To prepare the dough, mix flour with softened butter and eggs. After mixing, add salt and soda, quenched in vinegar.
5. The resulting piece of dough is divided into two parts. One part is rolled out with a rolling pin and laid out on a baking sheet, pre-greased with oil.
   
6. Spread the filling of morels with sour cream on the top, distribute evenly, sprinkle with finely chopped dill.
7. The second part of the dough is rolled out and covered with the filling from above, gently pinching along the edges so that there are no uncovered places from which the filling can stand out during baking.
   
8. Several cuts are made on top, the surface of the dough is smeared with a beaten egg.
9. The cake is baked in an oven preheated to + 190 ° C. The baking time depends on the thickness of the dough and can vary from 20 to 40 minutes.
10. The pie is equally good both hot and cold.

Recipe for stewed morels in sour cream

This delicate and easy-to-prepare dish is able to conquer the taste of the most refined gourmets.

You will need:

• 400 g of boiled morels;
• 350 ml sour cream;
• 150 g of cheese;
• 4 onions;
• 1 tsp dry dill;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Prepared mushrooms are cut into small cubes.
2. Peel the onions, chop finely and fry until translucent.
3. Mix it with mushrooms and fry everything together for another 10 minutes.
4. The cheese is grated on a medium-sized grater, sour cream, salt and dried dill are added. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour the fried mushrooms with the prepared mixture, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

The resulting dish tastes special when it is hot.

Is it possible to freeze morels

Morels not only can, but also need to be frozen. Especially if you want to preserve a large harvest of harvested mushrooms for the whole year.

How to freeze morels for the winter

Before freezing with freshly picked morels, do all the above preparatory procedures with soaking, cleaning and boiling in two waters.

Finally, the mushrooms are washed again, the excess liquid is allowed to drain in a colander. Then they are laid out in small portions in packages, inscribed, tied and sent to the freezer.

Since morels cannot be frozen twice, it is best to prepare packages of such size that the contents of each of them can be eaten at one time.

Conclusion

Cooking morels is not as difficult as it seems at first glance for beginners in the mushroom business. But, if you follow all the nuances with their preparation, you can get a delicacy from which all friends and acquaintances will be delighted.

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