Apaetzle With Asparagus And Morels Recipes

ASPARAGUS WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover; soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
• Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

SPRINGTIME FRITTATA WITH MORELS & ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Set the oven to 350. Heat a well seasoned,12 inch, cast iron pan to hot. Add enough butter to the pan to at least coat the bottom, more if you love butter like I do! Keep the cast iron pan on medium heat. Add the potatoes and stir for a minute or two, so they don't stick. Keep stirring as you add the onions, cook onions to translucent. Turn the heat down a little. Add the morels and asparagus and cook until asparagus are slightly tender (they'll finish in the oven). remove from heat. Remove sautéed veggies to a plate or bowl.
• 2. In a 4 cup measuring cup (or bowl) place the lightly whipped eggs and whisk in cream. Stir in cheese. Pour this mixture to the cast iron pan. Stir in your sautéed veggies. Place cast iron pan in heated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until eggs are set and top is lightly golden browned, or as browned as desired. Removed from oven, cool slightly and flop frittata out onto a cutting board to slice.
• 3. Serve immediately; frittata is best warm. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS, ASPARAGUS, AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet cook the shallot in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the wine, and simmer the mixture until the wine is reduced by half. Add the broth and the morels, sliced crosswise, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the morels are tender. Add the cream and the goat cheese and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Stir in the asparagus, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste and keep the sauce warm. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the fettuccine until it is al dente, drain it well, and in a bowl toss the pasta with the sauce.

FETTUCCINE WITH MOREL AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Add fettuccine to same pot and cook until tender but still firm to bite. Drain fettuccine. Return pasta and asparagus to same pot.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over low heat. Add garlic and tarragon and stir 1 minute. Add morels and sauté 4 minutes. Add cream and broth; boil until morels are tender and sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Add sauce to pasta and asparagus; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Pass remaining Parmesan separately.

ASPARAGUS WITH MORELS

Steps:

• cook asparagus separately in boiling water or in microwave until tender, 3-5 minutes.
• refresh under cols water.pat dry.
• heat 3 tbsp butter in large skillet, add shallots and cook until softened. add morels and saute 5 minutes more.
• add asparagus, tarragon, salt and pepper and continue cooking until heated through.
• add remaining butter and remove from heat.
• stir in lemon juice and garnish with tarragon.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND RAMPS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add ramps and saute until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
• Add the asparagus and morel mushrooms. Cover with the broth and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered until the asparagus is tender (about 10 minutes).
• Remove from heat and add the cottage cheese and milk. Puree the soup to the desired consistency.
• Return the pan to the stove and bring to a boil.
• Remove pan from heat and mix in the miso.

SAUTé OF WHITE ASPARAGUS, MORELS, AND RAMPS OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they will break naturally where their toughness begins), and peel the stalks.
• Clean the ramps and prepare the ramps according to the method described on page 33.
• Blanch the asparagus in heavily salted boiling water about 5 minutes, until tender. To test for doneness, take a spear out of the water, cut a small piece off the end, and taste it. (Remember, the spears will continue to cook a little as they cool.) Carefully remove the asparagus to a baking sheet to cool.
• If the morels are large, cut them in half.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (If you don't have a pan that's large enough to hold all of the vegetables, heat two pans and divide ingredients accordingly.) Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when it foams, scatter the morels into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Sauté the mushrooms 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Let the mushrooms cook another 6 to 8 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside, yet still tender. (The amount of cooking time really depends on the mushrooms; sometimes they give off water, which will require a longer cooking time, to allow the water to evaporate and the morels to crisp.)
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the mushrooms, and place the blanched asparagus carefully in the pan. Toss to coat the asparagus in all the mushroomy brown butter, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the ramps to the pan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2 minutes, tossing often so all the flavors meld and everything is coated in the butter. Taste for seasoning.
• Spoon the polenta onto a large warm platter. Using tongs, arrange the asparagus and ramps, randomly overlapping them over the polenta. Spoon the morels and all the butter over the top, and scatter the parsley over everything.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring 5 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta slowly, whisking continuously. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, whisking often. Add another 1/2 cup water and cook 1 more hour, whisking often and adding 1/2 cup water as needed, about every 20 minutes. The flame should be low, so that the polenta is barely simmering. As you whisk, make sure that you reach the bottom of the pan to prevent the polenta from scorching. I like to use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.
• Whisk in the butter, and taste for seasoning. Even when the polenta is finished, you might sense it thickening up a little. If so, add a little more water and whisk to get the right consistency. If you're not serving right away, cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the polenta from thickening or losing moisture. If necessary, rewarm over low heat before serving.
• You can blanch the asparagus and ramps a few hours ahead.

SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Whisk the flour with the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs and milk. Gradually mix the milk and eggs into the flour to make a sticky batter.
• Spray both sides of a colander with 1/4-inch-wide holes (see Cook's Note) with cooking spray then spoon the batter into the colander. Hold the colander directly above the pot of boiling water (using an oven mitt if necessary) and working quickly, use a rubber spatula to push the batter through the holes into the water. Simmer until all of the spaetzle float to the surface and are tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Toss the spaetzle with the butter and sprinkle with herbs, if using.

MOREL AND ASPARAGUS SAUTé D'AOUST

Steps:

• Halve morels lengthwise or quarter if large. In a bowl of cold water briefly wash morels and drain on paper towels. Trim asparagus and diagonally cut into 1-inch-long pieces.
• In a 10-inch heavy skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook morels, asparagus, and shallot, stirring, until asparagus is barely tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add consommé and water and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer mixture, stirring, 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper.