Morel Alfredo | May 06th 2008
After splurging on some delicious morels at the Dupont farmers’ market, I decided to improvise with them instead of following a predetermined recipe. After much thought, I settled on a homemade morel alfredo sauce (which I served over store-bought whole wheat rigatoni).
I rinsed the morels and then sliced them, and then I set them aside while I minced some shallots and sauteed them in olive oil. Once the shallots were browned, I melted in a stick of butter and then added the morels. The smell was incredible–earthy, almost fishy, and very rich. I added a cup of heavy cream and some freshly grated parmesan cheese (I’d say at least a cup), and then I simmered the sauce until it was thick and creamy. I tossed in the cooked rigatoni, and voila! Savory mushroomy goodness.
At $12-$15 per pint, morels are certainly a special occasion treat for me. But, I really enjoyed this dish, and I will look forward to the next time I can make it with these rare and delicious fungi.
Butter, cream, cheese, heaven.
Comment by Lemmonex — May 6, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
Yes, it was quite a tasty dish–however, when I brought the leftovers to work the next day, the sauce TOTALLY disintegrated into a nasty, buttery mess. Sad Betty. Next time, I’ll just have to invite you over to share!
Comment by bettyjoan — May 6, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
Sounds great, and I’m so happy to see you free from the confines of recipes!
For next time, a bit of starch will help keep the sauce from separating. Add a couple teaspoons of flour and cook it just a bit before adding the heavy cream.
I really wanted to get some morels last weekend, but they were up to $20 for a pint (and not even a heaping pint)! Considering that, at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, they’re $5 per pint when in season (and only $10 when out of season), $20 was just too much for me to pay. I’ll just wait three weeks.
Comment by Barzelay — May 9, 2008 @ 1:03 am
Yes, recipe-less cooking was quite liberating–kinda like going out without a bra.
Thanks for the starch tip–it was just so sad to throw away the leftovers, but the separated sauce was pretty yucky. I only paid $12 for my morels, but I really wanted to get two big servings of pasta out of it. Wish you had been around to share! I agree that $20 is way too much–you’ll be in the land of cheap and plentiful produce soon enough.
Comment by bettyjoan — May 9, 2008 @ 3:19 pm