 | |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Mushrooms and Fungi |
|
|
This is the description page for Morel (Morchella esculenta) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Morel.  The Morel, Morchella esculenta (also known as Merkel, Sponge Mushroom, and Molly Moocher), is a species of honeycomb-shaped fungi and is a member of the Morchellaceae (morel) family of ascomycete (that typically reproduce sexually using non-motile spores) fungi. They prefer well-drained sandy, chalky and lime-based soils and can be found in a range of habitats, including open woodland, under ash and elm trees, and in old hedges and gardens. They are most frequent during the first three years after a forest fire. They also grow in the same spot every year so once you've spotted a morel growing area you can return again and again. It is a native of Europe and North America. It is one of the earliest of the edible mushrooms, first appearing in April and most prominent in May. Morels are beloved of gourmands, especially in France, but they do contain small amounts of toxins which are removed through cooking and should never be eaten raw. This also removes the risk of poisoning from the Helvelacea which look very similar but are poisonous if not cooked. Morels are very variable in appearance but always have caps covered in deep honeycomb pits. The texture is brittle and the cap and stem form a single hollow chamber when cut (see image). The caps range from being conical to being egg-shaped and even globular. Typically the pits range from light ochre to brown but can be paler and the pit walls are often lighter than the pits but can be the same colour. The spore print is a creamy yellow and the fungus has a distinctly 'mushroomy' smell. The stipe (stem) is white or pale brown, tends to be grooved or wrinkled and is fused to the cap (indeed, the hollow of the stem runs into the cap). Typically morels grow between 3 and 10cm tall, and are 3 to 6cm broad with stipes about 3cm in diameter. As an early-fruiting fungus the morel is distinctive and culinarily important. For the most part it can only be confused with other morels which are edible. The one exception to this rule is the False Morel or Turban Fungus (Gyromitra esculenta) which is highly poisonous. It is rare in coniferous forests and bears a large (often fist-sized) cap that's chestnut brown and deeply convoluted rather than being pitted. Its most distinguising feature is that the stem, though hollow is multi-chambered, just as the cap is. True morels have hollow stems. This is why all morels should be halved lengthways to check inside (this also aids with even cooking). If picking, care should be taken not to confuse it with the uncommon but deadly poisonous Red-Staining Inocybe Inocybe patouilarde which gows in the similar habitat but is distinguished by its fruity smell which becomes foetid in older specimens. It is distinctly bell-shaped with a raised dome even at the button stage, its olive green gills and cut stem are distinctive and they slowly colour red when cut. The fungus bruises brick red, often in raidal lines from the cap. As it ages the uneven radial margins of the cap tend to split. Its firm texture makes the Morel excellent for pickling and preserving by drying it also makes an excellent mushroom powder if dried and ground. Recipes Utilizing Morel Morels in Aspic |
Welcome to the Celtnet guide to wild foods. As this recipe site has grown it has become obvious that to allow people to replicate some of the more ancient recipes on this site (especially from the Ancient, Roman and Medieval periods) it is necessary to list modern alternatives but also to produce a guide so that the curious can find the original (often wild) ingredients for themselves. These pages are an attempt at bringing all these potentially useful and often forgotten wild foods together into one place.
It is a sad fact that we have lost much of the knowledge we once had of the seasonal wild foods that we have on our own doorstep and which are not only safe to eat but which are also very tasty and fresh. This section of the site grew from the work I've done on the ancient recipes section of this site. After all, for our ancestors before farming wild foods were the only foods available. This guide therefor represents images lists and recipes for various wild foods you can gather and what you can do with them. For the most part the list contains edible plants. But I am beginning to add a new section on edible wild mushrooms and this part of the site will be expanding to include many other plants and species very soon. If you would like to know how to cook with these wild foods, then as well as having links to individual recipes on these pages you can also visit my Wild Food Recipes pages for many more (over 1000 and growing) recipe ideas.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Mushrooms and Fungi | Mushrooms and Fungi |
If you're looking for a particular recipe, or a recipe using a particular ingredient or set of ingredients, why not try my recipe search facility. You can even use a combination of period and ingredient such as 'Elizabethan Lamb' or 'medieval eggs'.
Couldn't find what you were looking for? Search the web:
One Million People CampaignIf you can spare $1 then help support this site and change someone's life forever? Learn how and why on the One Million People campaign page. Or donate $10 and get my guide to spices ebook or The Recipes of Africa eBook as a gift for your donation! |
A hot smoker is a method of cooking food, particularly fish, in a mixture of steam and wood chip or sawdust smoke. This article tells you how to make a very cheap home-made smoker from standard kitchen components, as well as telling you how to cook with it.
The article focuses on the Chinese construction machinery sector, its rapid development and changes that have taken place due to the global economic crisis.
Fusion cooking is the blending of ingredients and cooking techniques from different areas of the globe. Though most people thing of Asian-influenced dishes as being typically 'Fusion' modern Fusion cuisines can represent dishes influenced by the foods of any region of the world. Though South-east Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Indian influences tend to predominate. Here you will learn a little more about fusion cookery and will be presented with a classic Australian fusion dish.
The main course is the most important part of any formal meal, with preceding courses leading up to it. Here you will learn a little more about main courses as well as how they developed in Ancient Rome. In additional a recipe for a classic Roman main course is provided.
Lamb is one of the sweetest an most versatile of the red meats. Typically it is very tender and lends itself to a whole range of cooking methods. Here you are presented with two classic lamb-based recipes.
Barbecuing, or cooking meat directly above a flame, is a very traditional cooking method and probably represents humanity's oldest cooking technique. There is nothing like a summer outdoor barbecue and here you will find recipes for a classic kebab and sticky ribs both designed to make the most out of barbecuing.
Game is one of the oldest meat types that humans have ever used. However, game animals tend to be very lean and need to be cooked carefully. This article provides some information about game animals and a recipe for cooking venison by braising slowly in dark beer.
Fruit have been a crucial part of the human diet for half a million years and more. Here you will learn a little about why fruit are so important and why certain foods are called 'fruit'. You will also learn a little about superfoods, what they are and what the next superfoods will be.
Fish is the staple protein source for much of the human population. Fish is an important high-quality protein source that much of the Western diet is deficient in. In this article you will learn a little about fish as well as gaining two classic fish recipes.
The egg is one of nature's finest storage foods, packed with protein and fats. Chickens have been domesticated several times throughout human history and they are mankind's commonest domesticated animal, raised for meat and eggs. Here you will learn a little about eggs, why they are important in cookery and how they have been used throughout the ages.
click here for the full story
printer version