Peel the morels, rinse, soak for 1 hour in cold water.
In a saucepan: put the morels in boiling water and cook for 20-25 minutes in fresh salted water without a lid.
In a double boiler: boil morels after soaking – 30 minutes, laying no more than 3 layers of mushrooms on a double boiler tray.
How to cook morels
You will need – morels, water
1. Clean morels from large forest debris, rinse under cold water in a colander and transfer to a saucepan.
2. Fill the morels with water so that they are completely in the water.
3. Rinse the morels again by putting the mushrooms in a colander.
4. Drain the water, fill it with clean water and put on fire.
5. Salt the mushrooms, wait until it boils and reduce the heat.
6. After boiling, cook the mushrooms for 20 minutes.
7. Put the mushrooms in a colander – the morels are cooked and ready to eat.
Tasty Facts
Tips for boiling morels
– Morels are conditionally edible mushrooms, so it is recommended to boil them twice before cooking. First time in the water they were soaked in. Morels must be salted first. Cooking time is 7 minutes from the moment of boiling. The resulting broth must be drained, and each mushroom should be thoroughly rinsed under running water. Then clean mushrooms put everything together again in a saucepan, pour cold water and put on fire again. Once the water boils, cook for about 20 minutes.
— The most tidbit is the morel cap, it is valued for its high taste and pleasant aroma. The legs, on the contrary, are very harsh, so they are usually removed before the second cooking.
– In order to remove adhering sand from the morels as much as possible and get rid of snails and other unwanted inhabitants, it is recommended to pre-soak the mushrooms in a large pot of cold water for at least an hour. At the same time, they need to be laid out in the dishes with their legs up. This will not only better preserve the shape of the fungus, but also facilitate the process of removing insects.
– Morels must be soaked and boiled before frying. This is due to the fact that these mushrooms contain gelvellic acid, which is a poison. This acid, when cooking mushrooms, passes into water without being destroyed.
– Store boiled morels in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.
How to grow morels
If you wish, you can harvest morels from your summer cottage. The main thing is that apple trees grow on it. For sowing, mature morels are required – ordinary or conical. Freshly picked mushrooms must first be washed in a saucepan with cold water. At the same time, water should not be poured out, since fungal spores got into it.
There are two main ways to breed morels in the garden – German and French. In the first case, morels should be scattered under the apple trees, pour water from under the mushrooms, and then powder this place with ashes. For the winter, crops should be well covered with leaves (for example, the same apple tree) or straw. In the spring, as soon as the snow leaves the site, the shelter must be removed, leaving only a few leaves to prevent the soil from drying out.
The second method is similar to the first, the only difference is that you need to sow the mycelium on pre-prepared beds under the trees. Before shelter, they must be loosened and scattered on top of the apple pulp (pomace, waste from apples during canning). Subject to agricultural technology, the first mushrooms can please as early as two weeks after the snow has melted.
– Morels are harvested in April-May, these are spring mushrooms. Morels are considered conditionally edible mushrooms.
– Morels are healthy, contain vitamin A (responsible for bone growth and skin health, support for vision), nicotinic acid (cell oxygenation and metabolism at the cellular level), as well as substances such as phosphorus (bone and teeth health, transmission genetic code) and calcium (tissue growth). A decoction of morels is recommended for use in gastric disorders: 50 milliliters of a weak decoction 4 times a day before eating.
– Morels have long been used for vision problems – farsightedness, myopia and other eye diseases. Morel helps to strengthen the eye muscle, reduces the risk of cataracts, and with long-term regular use (up to six months) brightens the lens of the eye.
Morels are also prized for their excellent antiviral properties. Thanks to their active substances, mushrooms strengthen the human immune system, which is especially important during an influenza epidemic. In addition, morels are useful to eat to remove toxins from the body, purify blood and lymph. It is recommended for women during breastfeeding if there is a shortage of milk. It is noted that infusions of morels stimulate the mammary glands.
The age of mushrooms can be determined by color. The young morel is distinguished by a white or beige leg. A middle-aged mushroom has a slightly yellowish stem, and a very old one has a brown tint.
– Morels appear in the spring, in April-May, immediately after the snow melts in the forest. Morel caps are wrinkled and look like walnut kernels. Such mushrooms grow in ravines, pine or mixed forests. Morels like to grow in groups on forest edges, glades, clearings. They can also be found in thickets and bushes. Burners are no exception. as a rule, large families of morels can be found on the sites of forest fires.
There are three types of morels: common morel, conical morel and morel cap.
How to pickle morels
Morel
mushrooms – 1 kilogram
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Peppercorns – 30 peas
Bay leaf – 6 sheets
Citric acid – a third of a teaspoon
Vinegar 6% – 3 tablespoons
Cinnamon, cloves – to taste
How to pickle morels
Soak morels , boil them, pass them through a colander. Boil the morels again in salted water for 10 minutes.
While morels are cooking, prepare a marinade for pickling morels: add salt and all seasonings, citric acid to a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Boil the marinade over low heat for half an hour, then cool. and add vinegar.
Arrange the mushrooms in jars, pour over the marinade, close and store in a dry, cold place.
How to dry morels
Only fresh, with a good smell and elasticity, mushrooms are suitable for drying. Dry morels whole, without cutting. Clean the morels of forest debris and wipe with a damp cloth.
Spread the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, dry at a temperature of 70 degrees with the door open, turning the mushrooms regularly – they burn very quickly. Morels can only be eaten after 3 months of storage. Dried mushrooms should be stored in a dry place, mushrooms can deteriorate from moisture.
Ready dried morels – slightly bend, but do not crumble, dry and light to the touch.
Morel soup recipe
Products
Morels – 500 grams,
Rice – 300 grams,
Butter – 100 grams,
Chicken eggs – 2 pieces,
Salt and herbs – to taste
Preparation of soup from morels
Clean the caps of morels from dirt, rinse, pour cold water. 3 times, every 15 minutes, change the water and rinse the morels. Cut the soaked morels into pieces, dip in salted boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Cook rice in a separate pan . Boil the eggs in another saucepan, cut into pieces.
Add boiled rice and eggs to morel soup, stir. Add butter, finely chopped herbs and salt, leave for 5 minutes, serve with fresh white bread.
Morel Sauce
Products
Morels – half a kilo
Butter – 60 grams for a thick sauce and 120 grams for a liquid consistency
Flour – 3 tablespoons
Sour cream – 0.5 cup
Garlic – 6 teeth
Onion – 1 small onion
Nutmeg – half a teaspoon
Salt and black pepper – to taste
Cream 10% or mushroom broth (you can use forest mushroom broth) 150 milliliters for a thick sauce and 400 milliliters for a liquid consistency
Parsley – a few branches for decoration
How to make morel sauce
1. Rinse and dry the morels, chop finely.
2. Peel the onion and garlic from the husk and chop very finely.
3. Put the butter in a warm frying pan and melt.
4. Put the onion and garlic, fry for 7 minutes over medium heat until the onion is golden.
5. Put the mushrooms, fry for 15 minutes until the excess liquid evaporates, salt and pepper.
6. Pour the flour on top of the mushrooms, mix, pour in the cream or broth.
7. Wait for the cream to boil and turn off the fire.
When serving, garnish the morel sauce with parsley.