I don't have a lot of time to cook these days because our house is for sale and we need to be prepared to leave when potential buyers come to look. But this is a recipe I really want to post because it was made with fresh picked, dried morel mushrooms that our friends, Barry and Alda, gave us after their trek up to the mountains.
Barry and Alda go picking every year and we have heard many stories about their mushroom outings. They go to the same spot every year which is about an hour away from where we live. Some years are better than others for mushrooms and this year they said there was an abundance of mushrooms.
This year they said the mushrooms were large, too, so there bags were filling up fast.
One of their stories I like is when Alda was searching so intensely for mushrooms that she didn't even see a fawn hiding in the brush.
She was focusing so much on mushrooms that she didn't even see the fawn until Barry came over and yelled, " don't step on the fawn!" And then Alda finally saw it. I'm sure the fawn was scared and doing what instinct has taught it to do and not move a muscle.
Barry and Alda had their hunting dogs with them so they quickly moved to another area before the dogs discovered the fawn and soon found more mushrooms.
I've made rissoto with their mushrooms before (b.b.- before blog) so this time I wanted to make something different. Barry and Alda will usually saute the mushrooms and eat them with steak or whatever dish they're eating so I always try to do a different recipe and this one turned out really well.
Before beginning the recipe, you need to reconstitute the dried mushrooms. I always keep a package of dried mushrooms on hand to use in recipes because they add so much flavor and extra fiber to recipes but this time I had Alda and Barry's dried morels. Add enough room temperature water to the mushrooms to cover them.
Let them soak for 1/2 hour and then drain in a strainer. Rinse with water to remove any remaining grit from the mushrooms and then they are ready to use in your cooking.
Serves 4
12 ounces fettuccine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
8 ounces wild mushrooms
2 sprigs of tarragon, finely chopped
2 bunches of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup of broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
3. Add garlic and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the tarragon, parsley, broth, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of pasta water to the pan with the mushrooms. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, until slightly reduced.
5. Add the sour cream. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss to combine.
7. Serve the fettuccine with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
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