Morel Mushrooms!

One of my childhood memories of springtime is mushrooms! Not just any mushroom (although back then we knew of no others) but morel mushrooms, those special little morsels that Dad could find in the woods by simply pushing back a few dead oak leaves, picking them and plopping them in his sack. Some years he would find bunches of them, other years not so many. Dad loved to be outside, farming, fishing, and walking in the timber. My farmer brothers have acquired these habits as well, with one brother fishing every chance he gets and the other walking in the woods and noticing every wonder growing there. 

Today happened to be an excellent day with foods supplied by these brothers of mine. I had fish caught by Dennis for lunch and mushrooms found by Doug for supper! How about that!

Doug's morels!

Step 1 . . .

Gotta get rid of the dirt and bugs! So, put a tablespoon or so of salt in a bowl of water and add the mushrooms. 

Swish them in the salted water and you will see
dirt and maybe even a bug or two. 

Step 2 . . .

There is usually more than one way of doing things. This is how I prepared my mushrooms today, but there are other possibilities. 

While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the breading. Put flour in one bowl and season with some salt, pepper and garlic powder. Crack an egg into another bowl and mix it up with a fork or a whisk. Put Panko breadcrumbs in bowl number 3. Now you are ready to drain the mushrooms, cut in half, and blot dry with paper towel.

Flour, beaten eggs, panko breadcrumbs

Next, bread the mushrooms . . .

Breading, simply means covering the food with crumbs for a crispy delicious coating. You want the crumbs to stick and eggs are the trick for this. 

First dredge the mushrooms in the seasoned flour, then dip them into the egg mixture and finally into the crumbs. Put the breaded mushrooms onto a cookie sheet or a plate until ready to fry. 

And finally, here they are breaded and ready to fry. All those wonderful crumbs will fry up crispy and delicious.

Time to fry . . .

I like a heavy skillet, a combination of oil and butter, and just below medium heat. Give the skillet a few minutes to preheat and you are ready to go.

When the butter is melted and the skillet is hot add the mushrooms. You should hear the sizzle of frying when the mushroom hits the skillet. If the first one doesn't sound off, wait till you hear it before adding the others. Do not crowd the skillet and flip each one over as it turns golden brown. You will need to add a little more fat with each batch fried.

Please pardon the glare, but look at that wonderful golden crust!

Once the mushrooms are golden on both sides, remove to a plate, continue frying, then enjoy these seasonal delights! This, my friends, was my entire supper this evening. If you want the truth, there were a few more as I took this photo while the last ones were still frying. There aren't many foods worthy of becoming an entire meal. In the summer I might eat nothing but corn for a meal or two and sometimes on a wonderful lazy Sunday popcorn might be my entire evening meal and in the spring, on a good year with the generosity of a brother, morels can join this select group of foods. Yum, yum!

And now for a bit of science just because I can . . .

I like a little flour for the first step of the breading process to absorb any lingering moisture. The egg can be diluted with a little water or milk, but don't get it too runny. The proteins in the egg stick together as they are heated and that is what "glues" on the crumbs. If there is too much added water, steam will be produced and that will make the coating more soggy and tough rather than crisp and crunchy. 

I like the crispiness of Panko breadcrumbs, but you can use cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs, or many other dry crunchy foods. Experiment with possibilities like cereal, potato flakes or whatever your neighbors, family and friends insist is the best. 

The flavor of butter is great, but it has a low smoke point, so temper it with some oil for best results. Oil without the butter is also perfectly acceptable, but butter alone will burn, even at medium heat. So if you really want to use only butter, keep the heat LOW.

I use as little fat in the skillet as possible, because it all seems to be absorbed into the crumb coating. There is a fine line between too little and enough. Not enough will yield a white crust rather than golden. 

This basic process can be used for frying lots of different foods. Other vegetables can be fried in this manner. Shrimp is delicious, too. I don't fry foods often, but when I do, I want it golden, crunchy and flavorful! Don't be afraid to give it a try, but not to often, please!