Description
In nature, there are three types of morels: edible or ordinary (Morchella esculenta), conical (Morchella conica) and morel cap or cap (Verpa bohemica Schroet). The morel cap grows up to 15 cm in height and up to 10 cm in diameter.

History and distribution
Morels are one of the most ancient mushrooms; the first mention of them is contained in the works of the ancient Greek scientist Theophrastus, who lived in the 4th century BC. e. In Ancient Rome, morels were considered a delicacy, so servants were not allowed to cook them, and they were served at the table in elegant dishes. In many countries around the world, morels are treated with great respect; for example, in America they were given the status of “kings of mushrooms.” Since the middle of the 19th century, the Germans and French have been growing morels in old gardens and parks under apple trees. In Russia (as well as in the vast expanses of the former USSR), morels grow everywhere, appearing in the forests very first - in late April - early May.

Application
In our country, morels are considered conditionally edible, and according to taste they belong to the third category of mushrooms, although in Europe they are considered delicious mushrooms. Before eating, morels must be boiled, the broth drained, and only then can they be added to soup, fried, or stewed. Morels are very tasty stewed or in sauces. For example, morels stewed with sour cream can be served as a separate dish, and can also be used as a filling for pies. Morels are not pickled or salted, but they dried. Morels can be used for food only three months after drying. Keep in mind that dried morels absorb moisture, so they need to be stored in paper bags or cardboard boxes in a dry place, otherwise they may become damp and moldy. Dried morels can be used to make mushroom powder, which will be an excellent natural flavoring (seasoning) for various dishes.

Composition and properties

Fresh morels contain 3% nitrogenous substances, 1% sugar and many aromatic substances. In addition, they contain a polysaccharide conventionally called FD4. Morels strengthen the eye muscles, preventing clouding of the eye lens.

How long to cook morels

Before cooking, morels need to be peeled, rinsed and soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour, and then boiled in salted water for 20-25 minutes.

Calorie content and nutritional value of morels
The calorie content of morels is 22.7 kcal.
Nutritional value of morels: proteins – 2.9 g, fats – 0.4 g, carbohydrates – 2 g

Oleg Demidov, chef of the Godunov restaurant, comments:
It’s a pity that we don’t often use these mushrooms in cooking.

They have the elegant taste of the forest, namely the forest, not the greenhouse. They do not contain the chemistry that modern champignons, oyster mushrooms, and tasteless porcini mushrooms are filled with.
I'll tell you a few secrets.

You need to know how to handle mushrooms - then they will not cause harm, but, on the contrary, they will give you taste.

First, the mushrooms must be washed well, then soaked in salted water for 20-30 minutes to remove worms (if any).

My advice: pour the sauerkraut brine over the mushrooms, washed after soaking, for about 1-2 hours. The taste of the mushroom will be ten times stronger. And, what is important: after brining, the mushrooms will be completely safe.

Sauces are prepared from morels and strings, baked in sour cream, soups are prepared, served with crayfish, fish, stuffed with veal, fried and baked with turnips, potatoes... The morel is a universal mushroom.

Cream soup with morels and hazelnuts

For the soup, use fresh mushrooms soaked in cold salted water for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.Ingredients

• 2-3 servings
• Morels - 500 g
• Butter - 5 tbsp. Root celery
• - 100 g Leek, white part
• - 1 piece
• Water - 500 ml
• Fresh thyme - 2 sprigs
• Fresh oregano - 2 sprigs
• Bay leaf - 1 piece
• Garlic - 3 cloves Dry white wine
• - 80 ml Heavy cream (33%)
• - 200 ml

1.

Hazelnuts - 1 cup

2.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and roast the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Place them in a kitchen towel, wrap them and let them steam for about 15 minutes. Rub them inside the towel to remove the skin.

3.

Heat a frying pan and melt clarified butter in it. Quickly fry the nuts in oil until golden and fragrant. Remove them so that the oil remains in the pan. Set aside some of the nuts to decorate the finished soup, and the rest nearby for later use in puree.

4.

From all the morels, we choose three of the smallest and most beautiful ones per serving to decorate the finished soup. Fry them in oil and set aside on a napkin.

5.

Wash and chop the leeks and celery. You can also add regular onions. Finely chop the garlic. Fry it all in nut oil over medium heat until softened. Do not let it turn golden.

6.

Pinch off some fresh thyme and oregano leaves to garnish the soup. Pour in the broth, a little salt and pepper, the remaining sprigs of herbs and bay leaves, nuts, reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer slowly under the lid for 30 minutes.

7.

Remove thyme, oregano and bay leaf. Puree the rest with a stand or immersion blender until smooth.

8.

Pour the puree into a saucepan and slowly bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the morels, cover with a lid and, without letting it boil, heat over low heat under the lid for 20 minutes.

9.

Pour about half a cup of hot cream soup into the cream to raise the temperature of the cream before adding it to the soup. (This will prevent them from accidentally curling due to sudden temperature changes.) Stir in the cream.

10.

Serve the puree soup steaming, very hot, with fresh bread with a crispy crust.

Decorate with fresh leaves and flowers (if available) of herbs. The purple flowers in the photo are onion flowers, I highly recommend trying them! :) If this article was useful to you, click"I like"

, so you will express your gratitude to the author. (author of the article: Artur Protchenko
Rinse the morels well, soak in cold water, boil for 15 minutes, dry, cut and fry in a heated frying pan with the addition of vegetable oil.

Deep-fry morels.

How to fry morels
Products
Morels - 300 grams
Butter - cube 3x3x3 centimeters
Lime - 1 piece

Ground black pepper and salt - to taste

How to fry morels in a frying pan
2. Heat a frying pan, melt butter in it, and add pieces of morels.
3. Salt the mushrooms, pepper, sprinkle with lime juice.
4. Fry morels for 15 minutes over medium heat without a lid, stirring.

5. A sign of ready-made fried morels is a golden crust.

How to fry morels
Fried morels with lemon
Morels - half a kilo
Lemon - 2 pieces
Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt - half a teaspoon
Pepper - half a teaspoon

Dill and parsley - to taste
How to fry
1. Peel the morels, wash and cut into slices.
2. Pour cold water over the mushrooms and leave for 15 minutes, then change the water 3 times.
3. Place the mushrooms in a saucepan, add water and put on fire.
4. Cook the mushrooms for 15 minutes, drain in a colander and cool slightly.
5. Slightly squeeze out the cooled morels from excess water and cut them.
6. Sprinkle morels with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice.
7. Heat a frying pan, pour oil.
8. Add mushrooms and fry for 10 minutes.
9. Wash, dry and finely chop the greens.

How to stew morels in sour cream

How to fry morels
Fried morels with lemon
Sour cream - 250 milliliters
Flour - 1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper - to taste

How to stew morels in sour cream
1. Rinse and dry morels.
2. Heat a frying pan, pour oil, fry for 10 minutes until a tender crust forms.
3. Mix sour cream with flour until the flour is completely dissolved, add half a glass of water.
4. Simmer 15 morels in sour cream for 15 minutes over low heat under a lid.

Deep-fried morels

How to fry morels
Morels - 500 grams
Sunflower oil - 1.5 cups
Lemon - 1 piece
Dill - 1 bunch
Salt and pepper - half a tablespoon each

Dill and parsley - to taste
1. Soak morels in cold water, boil and place in a colander.
2. Cool the mushrooms slightly and chop.
3. Wash the dill, dry and chop finely.
4. Place the mushrooms in the deep fryer, add salt and pepper, sprinkle with dill and stir. When serving, sprinkle morels with lemon juice.

Forest mushrooms with the unattractive name of morels actually deserve special attention. They are marsupial mushrooms with a cute egg-shaped cap. The porous structure of the product makes it look like a honeycomb. The tall, stable stem of mushrooms is distinguished by a lighter color and the presence of voids. As a rule, this part of the mushroom is removed, since it cannot boast the same delicate taste and spicy aroma as the cap. You can prepare different dishes from this forest product, but in this article we will talk about how to fry morels.

If you think that the recipe for fried morels is very simple, this is not entirely true. In fact, the process of preparing these mushrooms is very different from processing everyone’s favorite champignons, but by following the technology, you can make a truly tasty and healthy dish.

You've probably heard that morels contain a toxic substance called helvellic acid. Then the question arises: why bother preparing such a product, if instead you can use other safe wild mushrooms or simply buy champignons? Firstly, they can boast of a truly unique and inimitable taste, and secondly, morels have numerous beneficial properties.

Since ancient times, such forest mushrooms have been considered a powerful medicine. By eating morels, you can improve the condition of the immune system, cope with various joint diseases, forget about rheumatism and more. Previously, healers used them to treat serious eye diseases. In particular, we are talking about myopia and farsightedness.

For medicinal purposes, it is necessary to eat properly prepared morels almost every day for 3-6 months. It is important to follow culinary technology and the order of heat treatment of the product, and for this you need to know a couple of secrets:

• Morel caps are very fragile and crumble a little if you are not careful with them. That is why mushroom pickers recommend carefully placing them in each other’s baskets, and during the washing process, process each mushroom separately.
• The cellular structure of the caps of such forest mushrooms makes them not only a place for dust and small debris to accumulate, but also a cozy home for insects. It is quite difficult to knock all this content out of morels even under running water, so it is best to soak them for several hours. The secret is that you need to place these mushrooms in a bowl with their legs up. This will make it easier for insects to get out, and the sand will spill out faster.
• Before eating morels or using them as an ingredient in various dishes, such gifts of the forest must not only be thoroughly washed, but also boiled twice. Legs are eaten extremely rarely due to their toughness, so it is better to get rid of such a part immediately. If you do this immediately after washing, there is a risk of damaging and slightly crumbling your valuable cap. It is better to cut off the stems after the first cooking, when the morels become dense and will not fall apart.

How and why to cook morels before frying?

We have already found out that soaking morels helps to get rid of the toxic acids contained in such mushrooms. All that remains is to figure out whether it is necessary to boil morels before frying. Any experienced mushroom picker will confidently answer this question in the affirmative.

As you know, all wild mushrooms are usually boiled before frying, adding to soup or carrying out other heat treatments. In boiling water, morels finally get rid of harmful substances. To begin with, the mushrooms must be thoroughly washed, changing the water several times. Then they will have to be left in cold water upside down for at least an hour. If you salt the water in which they stand, this will help the product acquire a more piquant taste and speed up the process of removing toxic acid.

Morels do not need to be thrown into boiling water. Place the pan with the mushrooms and the cold water in which they were soaked over medium heat, bring to a boil, and then cook for another 7 minutes. No matter how fragrant the first mushroom broth is, you will have to get rid of it. Next, you will need to rinse each mushroom again. There may still be some sand left in the pores. This is the best time to finally get rid of them. Then you need to put the mushrooms back into the saucepan and add a new portion of cold water, add a pinch of salt. This time, after boiling, they should be cooked for 20 minutes.

Only after all these manipulations can the valuable ingredient be transferred to a colander to drain the excess liquid and left in this position for a while.

How long to fry morels?

Since such mushrooms have already undergone thorough heat treatment before entering the frying pan, there is no need to leave them on the hot surface for a long time. In fact, they are already ready. That is why you just need to fry out the excess moisture and achieve a golden crust. Usually 15 minutes is enough for this.

Having dealt with the preliminary preparation of morels before frying, you can begin to create culinary masterpieces based on them. We invite you to prepare delicious mushroom dishes according to one of our recipes:

Fried wild mushrooms with onions

Ingredients:

• fresh morels – 1 kg;
• onions – 0.2 kg;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• onion greens – 1 bunch;
• sunflower oil;
• butter.

Cooking process:

1. If you are going to fry morels, you first need to very carefully wash, peel and boil them. These mushrooms do not like unnecessary movements and crumble very quickly. Remove the stems before the second stage of cooking, and leave the caps whole or cut in half. When the morels are ready, remove them from the broth and let them dry a little in a colander.
2. Onions should be peeled and then washed thoroughly under running water. You shouldn't cut it too finely. The best option would be half rings or quarters. After heating the sunflower oil in a frying pan with the addition of a small amount of butter, you can add chopped onions to it. When it becomes soft and slightly browned, add the boiled mushrooms. Fry the morels and onions for another 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. This mushroom dish is best served with potatoes. To do this, you need to boil it entirely in a separate bowl until tender, then drain the water and let the vegetable dry.
4. Place the finished fried morels with onions on a flat dish on top of potatoes cut into thin rings. Chop green onions and sprinkle mushrooms for beauty and piquancy. It is really very tasty and aromatic. Bon appetit!

Fried with eggs

Ingredients:

• fresh morels – 0.3 kg;
• eggs – 5-6 pcs.;
• sour cream – 0.1 kg;
• sunflower oil for frying;
• greens – 1 bunch;
• salt to taste.

Cooking process:

1. To fry morels with eggs, you first need to thoroughly wash them and boil them several times. Ready mushrooms should be freed from excess moisture, so they are placed in a colander and the liquid is allowed to drain. Place dried and cooled mushrooms in a heated frying pan with sunflower oil, bring until golden brown and remove from heat.
2. Eggs should be broken into a deep bowl or pan, added with sour cream, salt and spices to taste. This egg mixture needs to be thoroughly beaten with the addition of a small amount of butter.
3. Next, you can put the mushrooms in a saucepan with eggs, and put the vessel on medium heat. The mixture must be stirred constantly until the mass thickens. Ready-made morels fried with eggs are best served hot, sprinkled with chopped herbs. This recipe will definitely add variety to your everyday cooking.

Frying wild mushrooms with potatoes

Ingredients:

• fresh morels – 0.4 kg;
• onions – 0.1 kg;
• potatoes – 2 pcs.;
• sunflower oil;
• greens to taste;
• salt and spices to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Properly cooked fried potatoes with morels have an unforgettable piquant taste. However, before frying all the ingredients, the mushrooms must be thoroughly washed, removed from the stems and thoroughly boiled. Semi-finished morel products need to be cooled and freed from excess liquid.
2. Cut the peeled onions into rings or half rings, and then fry in heated sunflower oil. When the onion begins to turn golden, you can add chopped morel caps to it. Fry the onions and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes.
3. The potatoes should be peeled and turned into large cubes, and then added to the mushrooms on the grill surface. It is better to fry morels with potatoes until the vegetable is completely cooked. After a few minutes, add salt and pepper. It is best to do this at the end of frying so that the potatoes do not start to fall apart.
4. Place the finished fried morels with potatoes on a flat dish, and generously sprinkle your favorite chopped herbs on top. Bon appetit!

Now you know how to turn them into a luxurious decoration for a holiday table or everyday meal.

Peel the morels, rinse, and soak in cold water.

In the pan: Place the morels in boiling water and cook for minutes in fresh salted water without a lid.

In the steamer: Boil the morels after soaking for minutes, placing no more than 3 layers of mushrooms on the steamer tray.

How to cook morels

Fkusnofacts

The morel cap is considered the most delicious morsel; it is valued for its high taste and pleasant aroma. The legs, on the contrary, are quite harsh, so they are usually removed before the second cooking.

In order to remove as much sticky sand as possible from the morels and get rid of snails and other unwanted inhabitants, it is recommended to first soak the mushrooms in a large saucepan of cold water for at least an hour. At the same time, they need to be placed in dishes with their legs up. This will not only better preserve the shape of the mushroom, but will also facilitate the process of removing insects.

Before frying, morels must be soaked and boiled. This is due to the fact that these mushrooms contain helvella acid, which is poisonous. When cooking mushrooms, this acid passes into water without being destroyed.

Store boiled morels in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.

How to grow morels
If you wish, you can harvest morels from your summer cottage. The main thing is that apple trees grow on it. For sowing you will need mature morels - ordinary or conical. Freshly picked mushrooms must first be washed in a saucepan with cold water. The water should not be poured out, since fungal spores have gotten into it.

Exists two main ways growing morels in the garden - German and French. In the first case, morels need to be scattered under the apple trees, watered with water from under the mushrooms, and then dusted with ash. For the winter, the crops need to be well covered with leaves (for example, of the same apple tree) or straw. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts from the area, the cover must be removed, leaving only a few leaves to prevent the soil from drying out.

The second method is similar to the first, the only difference is that you need to sow the mycelium in previously prepared beds under the trees. Before covering, they must be loosened and scattered on top of the apple pulp (pomace, waste from apples during the canning process). If you follow agricultural practices, you can see the first mushrooms within two weeks after the snow melts.

Morels collect in April-May, these are spring mushrooms. Morels are considered conditionally edible mushrooms.
- Morels useful for health, contain vitamin A (responsible for bone growth and skin health, vision support), nicotinic acid (saturation of cells with oxygen and metabolism at the cellular level), as well as substances such as phosphorus (health of bones and teeth, transmission of genetic code) and calcium (tissue growth). It is recommended to use a decoction of morels for stomach disorders: 50 milliliters of a weak decoction 4 times a day before eating.

Since ancient times, morels have been used for vision problems - farsightedness, myopia and other eye diseases. Morel helps strengthen the eye muscle, reduces the risk of cataracts, and with long-term regular use (up to six months) brightens the lens of the eye.

Morels are also valued for their excellent antiviral properties. Thanks to their active substances, mushrooms strengthen the human immune system, which is especially important during a flu epidemic. In addition, morels are useful to eat to remove toxins from the body, cleanse the blood and lymph. It is recommended for women during breastfeeding if there is a lack of milk. It has been noted that morel infusions stimulate the functioning of the mammary glands.

The age of mushrooms can be determined by color. Young morels have a white or beige stem. A middle-aged mushroom has a slightly yellowish stem, while a very old one has a brown tint.

Morels appear in the spring, in April-May, immediately after the snow melts in the forest. The caps of morels are wrinkled and look like walnut kernels. These mushrooms grow in ravines, pine or mixed forests. Morels love to grow in groups on forest edges, clearings, and clearings. They can also be found in thickets and bushes. Burners are no exception. As a rule, large families of morels can be found in forest fire areas.

There are three types of morels: the common morel, the conical morel and the cap morel.

How to pickle morels

How to pickle morels
Soak the morels, boil them, and pass through a colander. Boil the morels again in salted water for 10 minutes.
While the morels are cooking, prepare a marinade for pickling the morels: add salt and all the seasonings, citric acid to a saucepan with 2 cups of water. The marinade is simmered over low heat for half an hour, then cooled. and add vinegar.
Place the mushrooms in jars, pour in the marinade, close and store in a cool, dry place.

How to dry morels

Morel soup recipe

Making morel soup
Clean the morel caps from dirt, rinse, and cover with cold water. Change the water and rinse the morels 3 times, every 15 minutes. Cut the soaked morels into pieces, place them in salted boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Cook rice in a separate pan. In another saucepan, boil the eggs and cut into pieces.
Add boiled rice and eggs to morel soup and stir. Add butter, finely chopped herbs and salt, leave for 5 minutes, serve with fresh white bread.

Morel sauce

How to make morel sauce
1. Wash and dry the morels, chop finely.
2. Peel onions and garlic and chop very finely.
3. Place the butter in a warm frying pan and melt.
4. Add onion and garlic, fry for 7 minutes over medium heat until the onion is golden brown.
5. Add mushrooms, fry for 15 minutes until excess liquid evaporates, add salt and pepper.
6. Pour flour on top of the mushrooms, stir, pour in cream or broth.
7. Wait for the cream to boil and turn off the heat.

When serving, garnish the morel sauce with parsley.

How to cook morels

1. Clean the morels from large forest debris, rinse under cold water in a colander and place in a saucepan.
2. Fill the morels with water until they are completely submerged.
3. Rinse the morels again, placing the mushrooms in a colander.
4. Drain the water, add clean water and put on fire.
5. Salt the mushrooms, wait until they boil and reduce the heat.
6. After boiling, cook the mushrooms for 20 minutes.
7. Place the mushrooms in a colander - the morels are cooked and ready to eat.

Fkusnofacts

Tips for cooking morels
- Morels are conditionally edible mushrooms, so it is recommended to boil them twice before preparing dishes. The first time was in the water in which they were soaked. Morels must be salted first. The cooking time is 7 minutes from the moment of boiling. The resulting broth must be drained and each mushroom thoroughly rinsed under running water. Then put the clean mushrooms all together again in the pan, add cold water and put it back on the fire. Once the water boils, cook for about 20 minutes.

The morel cap is considered the most delicious morsel; it is valued for its high taste and pleasant aroma. The legs, on the contrary, are quite harsh, so they are usually removed before the second cooking.

In order to remove as much sticky sand as possible from the morels and get rid of snails and other unwanted inhabitants, it is recommended to first soak the mushrooms in a large saucepan of cold water for at least an hour. At the same time, they need to be placed in dishes with their legs up. This will not only better preserve the shape of the mushroom, but will also facilitate the process of removing insects.

Before frying, morels must be soaked and boiled. This is due to the fact that these mushrooms contain helvella acid, which is poisonous. When cooking mushrooms, this acid passes into water without being destroyed.

Store boiled morels in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.

How to grow morels
If you wish, you can harvest morels from your summer cottage. The main thing is that apple trees grow on it. For sowing you will need mature morels - ordinary or conical. Freshly picked mushrooms must first be washed in a saucepan with cold water. The water should not be poured out, since fungal spores have gotten into it.

Existstwo main ways growing morels in the garden - German and French.

In the first case, morels need to be scattered under the apple trees, watered with water from under the mushrooms, and then dusted with ash. For the winter, the crops need to be well covered with leaves (for example, of the same apple tree) or straw. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts from the area, the cover must be removed, leaving only a few leaves to prevent the soil from drying out.

The second method is similar to the first, the only difference is that you need to sow the mycelium in previously prepared beds under the trees. Before covering, they must be loosened and scattered on top of the apple pulp (pomace, waste from apples during the canning process). If you follow agricultural practices, you can see the first mushrooms within two weeks after the snow melts.

Morels collect in April-May, these are spring mushrooms. Morels are considered conditionally edible mushrooms.
- Morels useful for health, contain vitamin A (responsible for bone growth and skin health, vision support), nicotinic acid (saturation of cells with oxygen and metabolism at the cellular level), as well as substances such as phosphorus (health of bones and teeth, transmission of genetic code) and calcium (tissue growth). It is recommended to use a decoction of morels for stomach disorders: 50 milliliters of a weak decoction 4 times a day before eating.

Since ancient times, morels have been used for vision problems - farsightedness, myopia and other eye diseases. Morel helps strengthen the eye muscle, reduces the risk of cataracts, and with long-term regular use (up to six months) brightens the lens of the eye.

Morels are also valued for their excellent antiviral properties. Thanks to their active substances, mushrooms strengthen the human immune system, which is especially important during a flu epidemic. In addition, morels are useful to eat to remove toxins from the body, cleanse the blood and lymph. It is recommended for women during breastfeeding if there is a lack of milk. It has been noted that morel infusions stimulate the functioning of the mammary glands.

The age of mushrooms can be determined by color. Young morels have a white or beige stem. A middle-aged mushroom has a slightly yellowish stem, while a very old one has a brown tint.

Morels appear in the spring, in April-May, immediately after the snow melts in the forest. The caps of morels are wrinkled and look like walnut kernels. These mushrooms grow in ravines, pine or mixed forests. Morels love to grow in groups on forest edges, clearings, and clearings. They can also be found in thickets and bushes. Burners are no exception. As a rule, large families of morels can be found in forest fire areas.

There are three types of morels: the common morel, the conical morel and the cap morel.