Morel hunters across the country are taking to the woods to search for the coveted mushrooms.
I have seen the mushrooms proudly featured on several Facebook pages so I know that some people are having some luck. There are also daily postings about morel hunts on the Oklahoma message board of Morel.com
Chef Lisa Becklund of the Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy in Depew has been kind enough to share a recipe for morel mushrooms.
Happy hunting!
Morel and dock frittata with wild garlicServes 6-8
12 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup cream or milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup of morels, sliced lengthwise, (more if you have them and less if you don’t)
6 cups packed curly dock leaves (can substitute fresh spinach)
6 wild garlic, cleaned and sliced thin whites and greens
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch of sea salt
With freshly harvested morels, soak them in lightly salted water in a dark place for several hours to help pull out some of the sand and forest debris, especially after we’ve had a good rain. Sometimes you can just brush them off good, but check, because they could be gritty.
For the curly dock, I like the leaves of a medium size curly dock plant that has not yet sent up its seed stock. Strip the leaves from the stem, and chop (just like you would kale). Plunge the curly dock leaves into a pot of boiling water and let boil for about 10 minutes. The dock will turn dark and the water will turn very green. Strain the curly dock and just set aside for now. If you haven’t tried curly dock it has a mild lemony flavor and a cooked texture similar to spinach. Some folks don’t par boil it but if you’re not used to wild foods it’s good to do this at first.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the egg with the cream or milk and salt.
In a large, seasoned cast iron skillet, melt butter, add the wild garlic and cook on medium heat until aromatic. Add the cayenne pepper and the morels, cook for a few minutes. Turn off heat, spread the morels as evenly as you can along the bottom of the pan, and then spread the cooked curly dock out on the bottom of the pan on top of the morels followed by the cheese. Turn the heat on high; when the bottom of the pan is hot slowly pour the egg mixture evenly in the pan. At this point place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
When the frittata is cooked, let cool slightly and invert the frittata onto a serving platter. The top should show off your morels nicely.
