The highest quality that a human being can reach is to be independent of the good opinion of others. Mazlow
They are such fickle creatures. Arbitrary, inconsistent and delightfully elusive. They care little about conforming to our modern ways, or fitting in, or being good, or being liked. They just live their life, their own way, on their own schedule, independent of our good opinion. And we love them all the more for it.
Morels refuse to be tamed. As our relationship with the earth continues, fewer and fewer things have remained truly wild. We have managed to domesticate, manipulate, govern and control the production of most of our food. But morels, admiringly, have evaded all our efforts to cultivate them in any commercial fashion and to this day, must be hand foraged in the wild.
Morels, if you have never tried one, have a delicate earthy, nutty flavor. They are distinct in appearance with their coned-shaped “hats” and honeycomb texture. But it’s their aroma that strikes me today. Not exactly pleasant, but not exactly off putting either. Quite intriguing actually. Beguiling.
Part of the challenge of finding morels, is their unpredictability. They do not stay in the same place from year to year, but move around without rhyme or reason with a detached aloofness. People spend hours searching for them, combing woods and forests, often to return home empty handed. And perhaps this is part of the allure. The stumbling upon them, the chance encounter, the seeking but not always finding; this is what makes the hunt so much sweeter.
There are many theories on where to find them. Some believe they grow mainly in forested areas that have been burned or cleared…or in orchards. But they pop up in surprisingly common places as well. A friend of mine once found some growing in her backyard. Lucky, that one. Another found some near a garbage dump. Still, to depend on them to return to the same place the next year, or to hope for any future with them, or consistency, or loyalty, is only asking for heartache.
I wish I could say I stumbled upon these, but no, not this time. For a wedding reception we catered last weekend, I purchased some fresh morels from a couple of local foragers, Gourmet Foragables in Spokane. Because they are found in the wild, and not easy to find, prices can run pretty high. But regardless, I bought a few extra to bring home with me.
The challenge was creating something that would enhance them without overpowering them, or loose them among too many other ingredients. The other challenge was not having to run to the store again, and instead try to use what I already had at home. Which was pasta.
For a flavorful and luxurious topping, skip the pasta and just serve Morels with Miso Brown Butter
over fish, chicken, beef or even seared tofu.
This whole wheat spaghetti was toothsome and hearty. Toasted, it had an even deeper flavor.
Serve with good crusty Bread. You could use olive oil instead of butter, but butter really does enhance the morels. When cooking I try to use butter sparingly, but there are some situations where butter is just… better! Butter and mushrooms are good together. 😉
Spaghetti with Morels and Miso Brown Butter Sauce
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegetarian main
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: northwest
Description
Spaghetti with Morel Mushrooms and Miso Brown Butter Sauce, and simple delicious meal highlighting morel’s special flavor.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp white miso dissolved in 1/4 C hot water ( or 1 more tsp miso— if not using cheese)
1 C morels ( or more!)
2–3 cloves garlic, sliced or big chop
splash of rice wine, mirin, cooking sherry, wine, or even marsala wine (1/8 C- ish)
Cracked pepper
1/4 C Italian parsley
pecorino
8 oz pasta ( whole wheat spaghetti)
Instructions
Pasta
In a medium sized pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook spaghetti uncovered until al dente. For extra nuttiness, toast your pasta first, placing it single layered on a sheet pan in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, or nicely browned. Then cook like normal.
Nutrition
- Calories: 375
Keywords: mushroom pasta, morel recipes, morel mushroom recipes, wild mushroom pasta, mushroom pasta recipes, morels, morels recipes
I live in Florida and cannot source fresh Morels. Can I sub dried in this recipe?
Hi Dana, you know I haven’t tried this with dried mushrooms, so I’m not sure. What if you mixed dried morels with another fresh mushroom?
Trying it tonight. I will let you know.
This miso brown butter sauce is so delicious!
★★★★★
This was delicious and allowed for the morels to be the star of the dish! Definitely use more morels if you can! 🙂
★★★★★
Im so glad you enjoyed this!!!
.
★★★★★
Very creative pasta dish! Pinned!
In Indiana, we typically coat morels in a bit of flour and egg for a pan-fried treat, but my parents and I wanted to try something a little different last year and found your recipe. It’s fabulous! We bought our usual batch of morels from a local forager yesterday, and we’re looking forward to using this recipe again this weekend. Thanks so much!
Oh Im so glad! Thanks for sharing…I just got some morels too yesterday~ they are the BEST!
Thank you for this recipe. I made this tonight and my husband and I really enjoyed it. It was exactly as you intended,enhancing the morels without too many ingredients to hide the flavor. I even had all the ingredients on hand (was looking for a new morel recipe for my foraged morels)which made it even more satisfying.
I’ve been thinking of cooking morels since ever! Just haven’t had the chance. Your miso brown butter sounds lovely too…not a combination I’ve had before.
If you have never tried them, and you are a mushroom lover, you will fall in love with them.
Interesting post. Never tried morel before. I am gonna check out and find some in our area and try your recipe. This is a unique pasta dish!
Great, let me know if you like them!