Finding And Preparing Wild Mushrooms

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• [RECIPE] Tangle of Spring Greens with Warm Morels & Lentils

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  Tangle of Spring Greens with Warm Morels & Lentils

  Reprinted with Permission from Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table by Michael Karns, Dennis Becker and Lisa Golden Schroeder. Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press.

  For the vinaigrette:

  1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  1 medium lemon, zested

  and juiced coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  For the salad:

  1 cup uncooked French lentils (Le Puy or small green lentils)

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  ½ cup sliced small garlic scapes or 3–4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  ½ pound (4 cups) fresh morel mushrooms, rinsed well and halved

  coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  6 cups mixed baby greens and watercress

  1½ cups fresh sugar snap peas, some sliced and some left whole

  ¾ cup sliced fresh radishes

  1⁄3 cup torn fresh tarragon leaves garlic chive blossoms, if you have them

  Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together until thick.

  To cook the lentils, place them in a medium saucepan with 2½ cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain well; toss with a couple spoonfuls of vinaigrette.

  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic scapes and mushrooms for 8 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

  Toss the greens with the peas and radishes. Arrange on 4 plates. Spoon lentils and mushroom mixture on top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle with the tarragon and chive blossoms.

  Kitchen Notes:

  Salad greens switch-ups celebrate whatever limey-green spring ingredients you find while out on the hunt for morels. The sugar snap peas can be left raw or you can toss them in with the mushrooms and garlic scapes, but keeping them crisp with the other greens in contrast to the tenderness of the lentils and mushrooms is nice.

  This salad is a good template for playing with fledgling garden herbs: toss in a handful of whatever herbs with the other leafy greens. If you include herbal bursts of flavor in the heart of the salad you can keep the dressing really simple: a few good shakes of red wine vinegar and your best olive oil is all you need.

• [RECIPE] Grilled Lake Trout with a Mess of Morels

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  Grilled Lake Trout with a Mess of Morels

  Reprinted with Permission from Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table by Michael Karns, Dennis Becker and Lisa Golden Schroeder. Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press.

  Serves 4

  Ingredients

  3 cloves unpeeled garlic

  1½ teaspoons cumin seed

  ½ cup packed fresh parsley sprigs

  1⁄3 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs

  ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  1 large lemon, zested and juiced

  1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

  1 teaspoon ground ras el hanout

  coarse salt and ground cayenne to taste

  1¼ pounds fresh lake trout fillets with skin, cut into 4 pieces

  4 ounces fresh morel mushrooms, sliced

  spicy microgreens (turnip,broccoli, kohlrabi, kale,purslane, and/or amaranth)

  fresh lemon wedges

  Heat grill to medium-high heat.

  Toast the garlic cloves in a dry medium skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the skins blacken. Let cool for a few minutes, then squeeze roasted garlic out of their skins. Meanwhile, toast the cumin seed for a few minutes, just until fragrant.

  Place the garlic, cumin seed, parsley, cilantro, and 1⁄3 cup oil in a small food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse several times until ingredients begin to blend. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, paprika, and ras el hanout. Process until the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and cayenne. Set aside.

  Lightly brush the fish with some of the remaining oil; season with salt and cayenne. Place on the grill; cook about 10 minutes, turning once, or until no longer translucent in the center.

  While the fish is cooking, heat the last of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the morels; season with salt and cayenne. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until tender.

  Serve the grilled fish with the morels, sprinkled with some microgreens, with small spoonfuls of the sauce and lemon wedges.

  Kitchen Notes:

  This herbal, slightly smoky sauce is a variation of chermoula, a lively condiment from North Africa. Look for ras el hanout where specialty dry spice blends are sold; it’s a heady mixture of warm spices like cardamom, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander. The combination will vary from place to place, sometimes including hot chiles, dried rosebud, fennel seed, fenugreek, or grains of paradise (see page 287). I really like the slightly exotic, sweetish edge it adds to a fresh green herb purée—and it’s luscious with simply grilled fish, especially nice with the richness of the morels. Stash away leftovers in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.