Three cheers for dear friends that share! Faced with a huge bounty of morel mushrooms, a good friend decided to generously share (thanks to an impending wedding trip!). An impromptu dinner was organized (very impromptu as in “scramble”!) and we indulged in home-made spinach tagliatelle with a fantastic morel sauce – yummmm!
Fresh Morel Pasta Sauce
1 T ghee or unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 C finely chopped shallots
c. 1/2# fresh morel mushrooms (see note)
1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/2 C dry white wine
2 T minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 heaping T crème fraiche (or heavy cream)
1 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano (freshly grated)
In a heavy sauté pan, heat oil and butter. Add shallots and sauté over medium-low heat until shallots are translucent and fragrant. Add diced morels and gently sauté until softened. Add sun-dried tomatoes, wine, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until wine begins to evaporate. Add crème fraiche and sauté a few minutes until thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning, cover pan and set aside while proceeding to cook pasta.
When pasta is in bowl, top with sauce and stir in the cheese.
Note: We received these morels pre-cleaned. They had soaked them in salt water for a long while to remove any stray critters and sand. I have always been instructed never to soak mushrooms and this excellent article on morels seems to confirm that. This sauce was very flavorful, I can only imagine how it would have tasted had the mushrooms not been soaked! If only we could learn to grow these mushrooms domestically! Any good mushroom can be substituted, as fresh morels are prohibitive! Maybe a mixture with a couple of morels?
