Nature has presented mankind with many delicious products, the most popular of which are mushrooms growing in the fields and forests. Since ancient times, people have eaten them and harvested for the winter in salted, pickled or dried form. The topic of today's conversation is the preparation of lines and morels at home.
Lines and morels are amazing mushrooms that appear before the first spring grass grows. At the same time, the human body exhausted during the winter requires something tasty, vitamin and unusual. A wonderful occasion to prepare a delicious dish and to please yourself and your family.
Why can not eat lines
Practice shows that in the people these mushrooms are collected and used for gastronomic purposes in the same way, but this is wrong and that is why.
A line is a brown mushroom whose cap is covered with numerous folds. In this case, the entire hat is littered with controversy.
The line is incredibly dangerous and can not be eaten, because it contains gyrometrin - a strong poison. This substance is a part of pale toadstool. The use of lines is fraught with critical consequences.
Morel in appearance is similar to the brain. It cannot be eaten raw, but after pre-soaking and further cooking, an original dish with an unusual taste and aroma is obtained. And use benefits the body, so the rest of the material will be devoted to the preparation of morels.
How to cook morels
Soaking helps to eliminate toxic acids from morels, and heat treatment completely eliminates harmful substances and helps to get the basis for more complex culinary delights.
- morels
- water
- salt
- First of all, thoroughly rinse the mushrooms under running water, then into the pan, pour in ice water, add a little salt and let it soak for an hour.
- After time, put the pan on the stove and turn on medium heat. After boiling the liquid, boil for at least 7 minutes.
- Drain the broth, rinse the morels again, fill with cold water and put it back on the stove. Add salt. After boiling, boil for 20 minutes.
After the above manipulations, carefully transfer the mushrooms to a colander and leave it for half an hour. As a result, excess fluid will be removed and the pristine structure will be preserved. The dish can be served with onions and vegetable oil, or used to prepare other treats, including mushroom julienne.
How to fry morels
Forest mushrooms are recommended to be boiled before being sent to the pan, including waves and rowers. And since morels are subjected to prolonged heat treatment before frying, there is no need to keep them in a pan for a long time. Fifteen minutes is enough for excess moisture to leave and a delicious crust appears.
- Morels - 1 kg.
- Onion - 200 g.
- Vegetable and sunflower oil.
- Salt.
- If you plan to fry morels at home, first rinse them with water, peel and boil. Before the second cooking stage, remove the legs and cut the hats in half. Throw the boiled morels into a colander.
- Cut the peeled and washed onions in half rings or quarters.Heat sunflower oil in a pan, add a little butter, fry the chopped onion.
- When the onion is browned, send the boiled morels to the pan. Fry for no more than 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Salt in the end. That's all.
I advise you to serve morels fried with onions along with boiled potatoes. Put potatoes cut in quarters on a plate, lay the fried mushrooms on top. For spice and beauty, use green onions and dill. As a side dish, it’s also suitable rice.
How to Pickle Morels
To the hostesses who can’t imagine the off-season without pickled mushrooms, I offer a wonderful recipe. Canned morels are incredible in taste and stored for a long time, suitable even for winter. A wonderful find for lovers of exotic.
- Morels - 2 kg.
- Salt - 2 tablespoons.
- Sugar - 1 teaspoon.
- Laurel - 6 leaves.
- Peppercorns - 8 amount
- Dill umbrellas - 8 pcs.
- Clove - 6 pcs.
- Vinegar - 0.5 tablespoon.
- Rinse and clean the mushrooms. Cut large pieces into slices, fill with water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, removing the foam. Throw in a colander, fill with new water, salt and after boiling, cook for 25 minutes.
- After the time has passed, replace the water again, add salt and the spices and spices indicated in the recipe. After boiling, add sugar and salt, after 10 minutes pour in vinegar and mix.
- Spicy mushrooms fill the sterilized jars and roll up.
For storage of pickled morels for the winter, a dry and ventilated cellar is best suited. If there is no such room, keep the preservation in the refrigerator or in the pantry.
How to dry morels
Quiet Hunt Fans Harvest dried mushrooms for the winter. Dry morels are later used to prepare all kinds of culinary works, the most delicious of which is the incredibly fragrant soup. The easiest way is drying in the oven.
- Fresh morels.
- Use undamaged, young morels for drying. Wipe each mushroom gently with a damp sponge or cloth, cut off the legs. It is better to dry the hats themselves.
- Cover the pan with parchment paper, lay the prepared mushrooms on top. Place the pan in the oven. For the first three hours, dry at a temperature of 50 degrees, then increase the temperature to 70 degrees. Dry with the door ajar.
- Put dry mushrooms in glass jars and close. Store in a cool, dry place.
If you want to dry morels naturally, it will take at least three months. Put the prepared mushrooms on a laid baking sheet and dry in the fresh air, periodically turning over.
Dried morels are very brittle and require careful handling. But even if some have crumbled, do not be discouraged. Grind them into powder and use as seasoning when cooking hot meat and vegetable dishes. Mushroom soup It turns out excellent.
Helpful information
Where to grow and when to collect morels
Morels are growing everywhere in the CIS. Most often they are found in a wooded area with deciduous or mixed vegetation along the edges and moss of lowlands, conflagrations, wastelands, forest outskirts and field edges. The results of botanical studies have shown that these mushrooms "do not sit still" and constantly migrate. Scientists did not find an explanation for this phenomenon.
Experienced mushroom pickers are well aware that morels are the earliest spring mushrooms. The first representatives appear in April and collect them until the end of May. It is noteworthy that in some countries they are very valuable. In particular, in the USA for a kilogram of this delicacy they often ask for several hundred dollars.
Benefit and harm
Morels contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, a polysaccharide substance that has positive effect on visual acuity. Morels are used in the manufacture of medications that strengthen the eye muscles and prevent clouding of the lens. In addition, these mushrooms increase appetite and improve the digestive system, have a tonic effect on the body.
Morels are tasty and healthy mushrooms, provided they are cooked properly. Before eating, it is recommended to soak, boil or dry them to neutralize toxic acids. If this is not done, the meal will end in poisoning. In the best case, a person is concerned about nausea and vomiting, and in the worst, a coma awaits.
How to distinguish morels from false mushrooms
Almost every edible mushroom has a poisonous clone. At the same time, not every amateur mushroom picker is able to distinguish edible morel from a false colleague, which is saturated with toxins. We are talking about the fun of ordinary or gouty morel. According to statistics, a fifth of deaths after eating mushrooms are in false morels.
How to protect yourself and your family? In edible morels, the hat has a trellised surface with numerous irregularities and indentations. In a false hat, it is covered with wavy lobes and in appearance resembles the cortex of the human brain.
In false morels, the hat is not fully attached to the base. If the mushroom is cut, white flesh is found inside. Edible morels are hollow inside. Be sure to remember this information if you want to try exotic mushrooms for breakfast or dinner. Good luck
