Baked Eggs and Morels

Serves 4

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When spring has sprung and the morels pop up in the forest (or at your grocery store) you know it’s time to make this terrific breakfast dish.  It’s rich.  It’s delectable.  It’s a bit of heaven.

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for dishes

1 small shallot, finely chopped

8 fresh morel mushrooms, (about 1 cup), halved lengthwise

Coarse salt

1 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut into “points” (triangles) or “soldiers” (long narrow rectangles) for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream; bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat, and let mushroom mixture cool 5 minutes.

Butter four 6-inch shallow baking dishes (such as gratin dishes). Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each baking dish, keeping yolks intact, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mushroom-cream mixture into dishes, dividing evenly, and sprinkle with chives. Bake on baking sheet until the egg whites are just set, 9 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread, for dipping.

Spring Vegetable Pasta with Lemon-Cream Sauce

6 Side Dish Servings

Recipe from Cooking Light 
MAY 2013

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

To celebrate the morel season, I served this as a special side dish for some friends using morels my hubby found.  This recipe got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from all at the table.  This would also be delicious using cremini or button mushrooms. To make this a vegetarian dish for Meatless Monday, use vegetable broth.  All the ingredients can be found at our local food co-op, Lost River Market & Deli.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (Use vegetable broth to make this meatless.)

½ cup half-and-half (You could also use heavy cream.)

3/4 cup frozen green peas

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces uncooked penne or other short pasta (I used whole-wheat.)

1 pound (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle mushroom mixture evenly with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and half-and-half; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add peas, 2 tablespoons cheese, rind, and next 3 ingredients (through pepper); cook 1 minute or until peas are thoroughly heated.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add asparagus to pan; drain. Add pasta mixture to mushroom mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tablespoon cheese.

Amount per serving (If using whole-wheat pasta, there will be more fiber and fewer carbs per serving.)

Calories: 363; Fat: 9.2g; Saturated fat: 3.6g; Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g; Protein: 15.5g; Carbohydrate: 57.6g; Fiber: 6.3g; Cholesterol: 14mg; Iron: 5.1mg; Sodium: 507mg; Calcium: 130mg

Spring Linguini with Prosciutto & Mushrooms

This husband-tested recipe comes from Alice’s Kitchen.
Serves 4

For those of us in Orange County, it’s morel mushroom time. My hubby and I, along with many other Hoosiers, count the days until spring when the morels poke through the winter leaves on the forest floor. Don’t fret! You don’t have to have morels to make this dish. This is a recipe in which you can use morels and/or other mushrooms of your choice. Lost River Market & Deli now has local morel mushrooms!! If you’ve only eaten batter or breaded fried morels, you are in for a treat when you give this recipe a try. Prosciutto is now available at Lost River & Deli. I’ve been waiting and waiting! Prosciutto [proh-SHOO-toh] is the Italian word for "ham." Prosciutto is ham that has been seasoned, salt-cured (but not smoked) and air-dried. It's usually sold in transparently thin slices. Prosciutto can be eaten as is and is a classic first course when served with melon or figs. It can also be added at the last minute to cooked foods such as pastas or vegetables. Now, if you don’t grow your own asparagus, you’ll find some in the produce section at Lost River Market & Deli as well. Soon, there will be locally grown asparagus! You can substitute sugar snap peas or even sliced yellow squash, if you wish. This recipe is pretty flexible. We now have locally grown fresh thyme leaves at the store.

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Several sprigs of fresh thyme leaves or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch fresh asparagus, sliced about 2 inches long (substitute about 1 cup of fresh sugar snap peas or 1 sliced yellow squash, if you like)
1 ½ cups or so, sliced mushrooms (I used a mixture of baby bellas & morels.)
2 oz. Prosciutto, chopped
8 oz. uncooked linguine
Kosher Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (easy on the salt because Prosciutto & parmesan cheese are salty)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or just a big squeeze of half a large lemon)
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream, optional, but wonderful
(If you wish, you could even add 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts just before serving.)

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Cook linguini according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions, garlic and thyme in the olive oil & butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the onion is tender. Add the asparagus, mushrooms and Prosciutto. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The asparagus should be bright green and crisp tender.
When pasta is done, drain and then add to the asparagus mixture. Add lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and cream. Season with salt (not too much) and pepper. Toss and heat on low for about 1 minute and then serve.
Serve this on its own or with a crisp salad and/or grilled fish or chicken for a special dinner.

Sherried Mushroom and Ham Soup

Tested in Alice Wootton’s Kitchen
Serves 4

This is a lovely soup. It’s also very rich. It makes a great starter for a special meal. Use small bowls or cups for serving this rich soup. If you are lucky enough to find morel mushrooms growing in your woods, be sure to make this soup using some of your morels! (You can substitute dried mushrooms. Follow the package directions for rehydrating.) This is also a great way to use up some of that leftover Easter ham in your freezer. You'll be able to find lovely shallots at Lost River Market & Deli.

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 pounds of assorted exotic, wild mushrooms (Morels are especially nice!) or a mixture of baby bellas and white button mushrooms, half sliced & half finely chopped
1 pound ham, finely chopped (I use a food processor.)
6 Tablespoons cream Sherry
4 Tablespoons flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup fresh chives or scallions (green onions)
6 Tablespoons heavy cream

· In a pot, melt butter with oil over moderate heat until foam subsides.
· Saute shallots, garlic and mushrooms until mushroom liquid evaporates.
· Add ham and sauté 1 minute.
· Add sherry and boil until evaporated.
· Add flour and cook 3 minutes.
· Stir in broth and bring to a boil.
· Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
· Stir in chives or scallions and heavy cream.
· Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.