Photo courtesy Professor Lori Carris, Washington State University

Mountain Morels

Sometimes I shop strictly by the list. I will push the shopping cart purposely through the Co-op's aisles, crossing off each item as I place it in the cart. My mind is only partly engaged with the chore at hand: grocery shopping. The rest of my mind is already anticipating the rest of the day's work.

On other occasions, I wander with more leisure and less measure. Shopping is more a venture and less a chore. On one of those more leisurely shopping ventures in January, I discovered dried Mountain Morels. If you haven't spied these dehydrated mushrooms yet, they are in the produce section. They are packaged modestly, in a plastic quart-size Ziploc bags with hand drawn graphics on the label, identifying the morels' origin: from the mountains of Idaho.

The price may not, at first, seem so modest as the packaging: they cost $8.00. When I first discovered these dehydrated mushrooms, $8.00 seemed an ample price for such a lightweight package. But I was in the mood for risotto. I had already splurged on a package of carnaroli rice. Wild mushrooms sounded good, and a refreshing change from button mushrooms. The package made its way into my shopping cart. The decision turned out to be a good one and I've since been back for more morels.

If you need help trying these delectable dried morels, just consider how much you would spend on a comparable dish in a restaurant. And though I enjoy watching people and being waited on at a restaurant, rarely is the food as good as home cooked meals.

At the Co-op, the cellophane wrapped packages of carnaroli rice are in the lower level of the shelves opposite the array of chips. Arborio rice would work as well, but carnaroli is touted as the "king" or the "caviar" of Italian rice. Though I typically use Arborio when making risotto, for the morels, I've decided to use the best. Why take half measures with Mountain Morels? Here is my recipe. Feel free to make variations. I do.

Mountain Morel Risotto

Put the package of morels to soak in hot, but not boiling, water. I use a four-cup Pyrex measuring cup. The water and mushrooms reach the 2-cup mark. I weight the dry mushrooms down (so they are submerged) with another glass container. Set this aside while you gather the other ingredients and as you begin the risotto.

Empty one carton of Pacific organic chicken broth in a heavy saucepan and begin to heat the broth on low to medium low. Chop 2 tablespoons (or more to taste) of garlic and add it to the chicken broth. (Garlic's pep will be tamed by heating it with the chicken broth.) If you really like garlic, as I do, add more garlic, in stages, as the broth heats.

In a heavy saucepan, sauté a cup of chopped sweet onion or shallots (or a combination of the two) in a good quality extra-virgin olive oil. Stir the onions and shallots so they do not burn, but cook them until they are caramelized nicely. If needed, add more olive oil, allowing it to heat before emptying the 15 oz. package of carnaroli rice. Stir the rice and onion mixture for several minutes, letting the rice toast slightly.

By now the chicken broth should be heated. Add hot broth a half-cup at a time, stirring it into the rice mixture. When the rice absorbs most of the broth, scoop in another half-cup. You do not want the rice to ever dry out. Continue this process, keeping the heat low enough that you have a bit of free time, or more accurately - free hands, between stirring and adding broth. I stir risotto intermittently, not constantly as some recipes command.

Add some of your favorite olive oil to a heavy skillet. Turn the heat to low and chop more garlic. Add the garlic to the oiled skillet, salt lightly and stir. The pan should be low enough that the garlic does not sizzle or brown to quickly. You want the garlic to flavor the oil and to cook very slowly.

Meanwhile, strain the rehydrated morels, reserving the flavorful mushroom water. I line a wire strainer with a coffee filter to catch the fine detritus. Add the strained mushroom liquid to the chicken broth so it warms before you will add it to the cooking risotto. Slice the rehydrated mushrooms. When the garlic has flavored the oil in the skillet, turn the heat up. Add butter and the sliced morels to the skillet. Stir to sauté. Add a tad of salt and some fresh ground pepper.

The morels are hardy and require more cooking than fresh button mushrooms. After several minutes, taste a slice of mushroom to gauge texture and the degree of doneness. When the morels are tender, add them to the risotto, which should be nearly done. Deglaze the skillet with a bit of wine and add the liquid to the risotto. Taste and add salt or fresh pepper as needed.

If you plan to top the dish with parmigiano or that fabulous French feta cheese, remember that the cheese will add some saltiness to the dish. When the rice is done, serve it warm. It can be topped with cheese or with a few thin dabs of fresh butter and some finely chopped parsley or chives.

Pamela Lee would like to thank the purveyor of the Idaho Mountain Morels.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

Return to Recipe List

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.