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In January I closed the chapter on my exotic and challenging life in Podgorica, Montenegro, and took up residence in a green suburb of Brussels, Belgium. In doing so I left behind burrek and endless variations on grilled meat in exchange for a cheesier, French-style cuisine and excessive potato (and potato-like substances). Convinced that neither cuisine is overwhelmingly healthy, I’ve taken to describing my transition as a horizontal move from greasy/meaty to fatty/starchy.

One edible that I recently came across that fits the Belgium mold is morchella mushrooms sautéed with butter (recipe below the break). This treat, revealed to me by the ‘mushroom man’ at my local Sunday farmers market, constituted a spectacular Easter dinner almost* entirely by itself.

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Ingredients:

  • 500 grams morchella mushrooms
  • enough butter to thinly coat the bottom of a fry pan
  • pinch of coarse sea salt
  • crushed red pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of cool salted water for 15 minutes to dissolve any residual dirt stuck in the mushroom’s honeycomb-like tops.
  2. Pat dry the mushrooms and rough cut them into bite-size chunks.
  3. Heat the butter in a pan on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms once the butter is completely melted.
  4. Give the mushrooms a few turns with a spoon to expose all sides to the butter, and then let sit. The mushrooms will visibly release liquid after about 1-2 minutes, and then reabsorb the liquid thereafter.
  5. Once mushrooms are tender, remove from heat, sprinkle with pinch of salt and crushed red pepper. Toss one last time.
  6. Serve immediately with a toasted crusty bread.

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Why, you ask, is so simple a dish as mushrooms sautéed in butter worthy of a Delicious Attack post? The answer to this question is: MORCHELLA.

The morchella mushroom is both delicious in flavor and wildly distinct in texture. As the above images make clear, the morchella mushroom is no ordinary mushroom. It’s top is honeycombed, ridged, and elastic like a sponge. Biting into a morchella mushroom gives one the sensation of chomping on a succulent, meaty, gummy bear. The morchella’s flavor makes eating portabella mushrooms taste like eating air. They are packed with musty and earthen flavors, each bite discharging a burst of rich juices.

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When sautéed in butter, the savory flavor of the morchella is enriched. This flavor is deliciously complemented with a modest amount of heat from the addition of crushed red pepper.

*Note: As you can see from the above image of the mushrooms in a pan, for Easter dinner I combined morchella mushrooms with lepista mushrooms to add a touch of diversity to the dish. Cooking two types of mushrooms together makes it easier to distinguish the flavors and textures of a particular type of mushroom because you’ve got something to compare them with. The above combination of morchella and lepista mushrooms worked well with the lepista mushrooms serving as a base, and the morchella mushrooms as an accent.

CREDITS: This recipe comes with compliments to my mother, who has taught me much about cooking delicious things.