The chanterelles I used to make a nice omelette with roasted garlic and fennel leaves. That dish ended up being quite good.
My Dad's family picked puffballs and several other kinds of mushrooms. Alas, he never taught us kids. Where he grew up they wouldn't pick morels as they were considered junk mushrooms. Here in west central Illinois morels are the mushroom of choice. So, I learned to cook them in the local style. We love them.
Split morels in half. Soak in salt water to remove ants/bugs. Rinse. Pat dry. Dip in egg wash. Roll or shake in a bag to bread: corn meal, flour, cracker crumbs (I use all three, but it is whatever one's family uses.). Pan fry til brown in real butter mixed with a bit of oil to stop burning the butter. Drain on paper towels and try not to eat before serving the family! I fry up 5 lbs at a time, and the family ignores the rest of supper.
My Dad is probably rolling in his grave over this! but after moving south to this part of Illinois, I am learning a bit about the semi-southern cooking in this area. i.e. Chicken and noodles is always served with or over mashed potatoes. (my Mom cringes at this!) Nevertheless, I love the "junk" morel mushrooms.
My Dad's family picked puffballs and several other kinds of mushrooms. Alas, he never taught us kids. Where he grew up they wouldn't pick morels as they were considered junk mushrooms. Here in west central Illinois morels are the mushroom of choice. So, I learned to cook them in the local style. We love them.
Split morels in half. Soak in salt water to remove ants/bugs. Rinse. Pat dry. Dip in egg wash. Roll or shake in a bag to bread: corn meal, flour, cracker crumbs (I use all three, but it is whatever one's family uses.). Pan fry til brown in real butter mixed with a bit of oil to stop burning the butter. Drain on paper towels and try not to eat before serving the family! I fry up 5 lbs at a time, and the family ignores the rest of supper.
My Dad is probably rolling in his grave over this! but after moving south to this part of Illinois, I am learning a bit about the semi-southern cooking in this area. i.e. Chicken and noodles is always served with or over mashed potatoes. (my Mom cringes at this!) Nevertheless, I love the "junk" morel mushrooms.
They were probably common where your dad grew up. I lived up north in Quebec for a few years. The locals wouldn't eat partridge because they were easy to shoot. I had a Jamaican friend who loved conch, but when she grew up in Jamaica, no one would admit to eating it. That's what poor folks would go get out of the ocean for free.My Dad's family picked puffballs and several other kinds of mushrooms. Alas, he never taught us kids. Where he grew up they wouldn't pick morels as they were considered junk mushrooms. Here in west central Illinois morels are the mushroom of choice. So, I learned to cook them in the local style. We love them.
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They were probably common where your dad grew up. I lived up north in Quebec for a few years. The locals wouldn't eat partridge because they were easy to shoot. I had a Jamaican friend who loved conch, but when she grew up in Jamaica, no one would admit to eating it. That's what poor folks would go get out of the ocean for free.
I love morels, but haven't had many opportunities to eat them. I once found three.