Morels - Natures Reward for Enduring a Long Winter

Black Morel sprouting in the Spring Sunshine

After a long cold winter, any outdoor activity is a good thing.

But any outdoor activity that involves putting something tasty onto a plate, is a GREAT thing!

If you like going for walks, and if you like nature (I’m pretty sure you do or you wouldn't be reading this blog), then Morel hunting might just be for you. Morels are mother natures gift to us for enduring the cold boring winter months. The first to show up are usually black Morels, followed by yellow and whites. Whites are typically the larger of the Morels, but for my money, blacks are the tastiest..Probably because they are the first of the year.

Most experts will tell you to look for Morels around Elm and Poplar trees on a south facing hill. You’ll want to see other vegetation sprouting up to bask in the warm spring sunshine as well. If you can find those conditions, you’re in business and it’s like an Easter egg hunt trying to find the well camouflaged mushroom. Once you get a knack for spotting them, it will get much easier.

On the plate, Morels are hard to beat. Whether you simply sauté them in butter, or use them in a complex sauce, Morels are a spring time treat that sit right alongside wild ramps, fish roe, and fresh wild turkey. If you are looking for a fun outdoor activity, take a stroll through the woods this weekend. But be careful where you step. Dinner may be just under your toes.

*Disclaimer* - Eating wild mushrooms can be dangerous and even deadly if you are not sure what you are doing and know how to identify edible varieties. Before eating any wild mushroom, please have an expert inspect it unless you are 100% certain it is safe and edible! For more information on identifying edible varieties of wild mushrooms, visit your states Natural Resources office. 

Pan Roasted fresh Rockfish with Morel Sauce:

10 fresh morel mushrooms

7 oz White Wine
16 oz chicken stock
1-1/2 cup heavy cream
3 oz butter                                                                         

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh Rockfish fillets
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 oz butter 

Wash Morels and soak in a large bowl of salt water for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to remove any insects that may be inside.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Season the Rockfish fillets with salt and fresh ground black pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden-brown and the fish is nearly cooked through.

Turn the fillets over and add the butter.

Reduce the heat and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

Set aside on a warm platter.

Place the Morels and wine into a pan with the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cook to reduce the liquid to 1/2.

Add the heavy cream bring to almost the boiling point.

Add the butter and stir to combine.

Serve with Beans and rice and garnish with fresh greens.

Fresh Fried Morels:

Bunch of Fresh Morels

Butter

Eggs

Milk

Saltine Cracker Crumbs or white flour

Wash and cut Morels lengthwise. Soak in a large bowl of salt water for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to remove any insects that may be inside.

Remove Morels  and pat dry, lightly pressing out any excess water.

Dip morels into an egg and milk mixture

Dredge in cracker crumbs or flour, and fry lightly in butter until golden brown.

Venison Kofta Kebabs

When I first saw these kebabs on TV, I knew I had to try them. Meat on a stick is just a manly thing that I couldn't resist. Couple that with the testosterone generating memories of harvesting this venison myself, and I might just go rub a couple of sticks together to create fire, and pound my chest!

This dish is traditionally made with lamb, and if you don't have access to venison, please feel free to use the traditional meat. When using venison, we are going to blend in some bread crumbs to help the burger stick together. If you use lamb, just omit the bread crumbs. 

Its a great dish to make ahead of time so that the burger can set up and the spices can blend. Fire the grill about an hour before kickoff, and serve these great appetizers on a platter with fresh tzatziki for dipping. Your buddies will be impressed, and its a nice change from the same old boring game time snacks. 

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 pound of ground venison
3 tbsp grated onion
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
about 30 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour

Mix the minced garlic and kosher salt together and mash into a paste using a mortar and pestle, or a cutting board and a blunt untensil. Mix the garlic into the venison along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper. Form the mixture into 30 oval shaped balls. Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; For less appetizers, you can also form a longer skewer as I've done for this recipe. (see pic) repeat with the remaining skewers. Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat an outdoor grill, preferrably charcoal, and cook each skewer until desired temperature. About 6-8 minutes for medium. 

Tzatziki Recipe: 

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 cup greek yogurt, strained
1 cup sour cream
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

place olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well blended. Using a whisk or fork, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving. 

Crispy Pig Ears - No, Really..You Have to Try Them!

I have developed a love affair with foods that go against the mainstream grain. I spent a lifetime cooking things like meatloaf, baked chicken, various burger recipes, etc....What I realized is that I was getting very bored with this style of cooking. While it's very much "down home", it is also very vanilla. So I started seeking out the foods and techniques that go outside the box. I fell in love with some different shows on TV that take you to the heart of culture and the foods that define people. I began experimenting with these foods, and this is one that has as much shock value as it has big flavor. 

Crispy pig ears are nothing new in certain cultures. But for a majority of my targeted reader base, I would bet that I can count on one hand the number of people that have ever tried them. I myself had only seen them on TV up until yesterday. I saw the pig ears at the butcher shop, bought them, and started seeking out recipes. After choosing a couple that looked good, I put my own adaptation to them, and this is the result. 

Think "bar food". Think "finger food". This should be right up there with chicken wings and potato chips as a staple for every coffee table during a football game on Sunday. Your favorite dipping sauce should accompany the plate. For this recipe I chose a Sweet Thai Chili Sauce....Buffalo wing sauce, or a spicy mustard sauce would have been just as good...This is a crunchy, meaty snack, that won't disappoint. 

pre-boiling is crucial to tenderize the ears. I put carrots, celery, onions, and pig ears in a pot and covered with water. Add salt and Chinese five spice powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove ears and allow to dry out for an hour or so. 

When ready to fry, slice ears in long strips, dredge in seasoned flour (recipe below) and deep fry until crisp. be careful when frying, as leftover moisture in the ear will causing popping in the hot oil or fat. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. 

I have also seen these used as the main ingredients in tacos. I enjoyed these so much all on their own, that I cannot wait to try them in a soft tortilla with some fresh pico!

Seasoned Flour:

2 cups flour
1 1/2  tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons dry mustard
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sweet basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Store leftover mix in a seal-able bag or jar. 

Tuna Tar-tare with Avocado

The Tuna fishing in the Mid- Atlantic region has been fantastic for most of the summer. It started with a great bite off the coast of North Carolina early on, and has continued as the fish moved north into the Norfolk, Washington, and Baltimore Canyons. Big Eye have been the biggest surprise of the summer, as they stuck around for quite a while and offered anglers a shot at a real trophy fish, with many topping the scales at over 200  pounds! Other anglers such as my friend Damon who fished out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center this week, reported a limit of 18 yellowfin tuna ranging from 30-60 pounds in the box before noon. 

When you have that much meat on the fillet table, you have to find creative things to do with it in the kitchen. Yellowfin is a wonderfully mild tuna, and is an excellent choice for this recipe. A word of warning though! If you did not catch the fish yourself and know for sure that it was handled properly to be eaten raw, be very careful. The words "Sushi Grade" or "Sashimi Grade" are not regulated by the FDA. Know your fish monger well, and trust in him/her before you eat any raw seafood. I did not catch the tuna used for this recipe, but I trust my fish monger, and knew this fish had been caught and well iced the same day I bought it. And when he said, "This fish was swimming this morning", I trusted him and bought a couple pounds right away. Japanese or International markets are a great place to buy sushi grade tuna. 

This recipe is very simple and a great way to impress your guests. Put this out as an appetizer, and watch it disappear quickly!

Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 pounds of fresh tuna

1 small avocado

1 tsp olive oil 

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 teaspon fresh ginger, grated

dash or two of oyster sauce

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp chives, minced

1 lemon

salt to taste

Slice the tuna into 1/2 inch chunks. Combine with soy sauce, ginger, oyster sauce, olive oil, sesame seeds, and chives. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. 

Just before serving, cut Avocado into 1/2 inch chunks and season with lemon juice and salt. 

Oil a mold and place in the center of a plate. Add a thin layer of tuna and press well, then avocado, then tuna and gently press from the top. turn the mold occasionally while filling to make sure mixture is not sticking. remove the mold and top with fresh parsley, and diced green onions....drizzle a bit of soy sauce, hoisin, and oyster sauce around the plate for presentation and some extra "juice"...enjoy with pita chips and an ice cold beverage!

She Crab Soup

                                                                                                                        photo  ©2010  Ron Dollete

During the fall, in my portion of the Chesapeake, female crabs are fattening up for the long run back to the ocean to lay their eggs. You see they spend the first half of their life making their way north in the Chesapeake. They feed, and molt, and feed and molt. When they reach 3-4 inches in length, and are ready to go through the molting cycle, they get scooped up by a large male or "Jimmy" and he carries her around with him until she sheds into a softshell. At this point, the pair breed and he goes on about his business being a crab. The female hardens over the next 24-36 hours, and her sould purpose in life at this point is to eat anything an everything in sight, o that she can make the long journey down the bay, and out to the Continental Shelf, where she will lay her eggs. She will never return to the Chesapeake. If she survives another year, she can lay a 2nd batch of eggs using the same fertilization she has been storing from the prior year..no male needed for round 2. 

So, the fall migration of millions of female crabs headed out to sea has begun. For a lot of commercial crabbers, this is when they catch a majority of their crabs. 50-60 bushel days are not un-common in the fall, with 90% of them being females that are sold mostly to picking houses. But, for the consumer, and recreational crabber, females are usually available fairly cheap at seafood shops and crab trucks throughout the region. Since recreational crabbers are not allowed to keep females, this is your only option if you want to make she crab soup. 

I like to make this on a cool Sunday morning, and its usually ready by game time. Like most soups, this gets better the longer it sits, so by all means make it a day ahead of time. 

Ingredients:

2 oz. Salt Pork or fatty bacon
2 quarts of water
3 1 pound cans of crushed tomatoes
2 10 oz packages of mixed vegetables
2 cups of potatoes, diced
1 3/4 cups of shredded cabbage
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 tbs seafood seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound of crab meat
couple of pieces of whole cooked 

In an 8 quart pot, add salt pork or bacon pieces and cover with 2 quarts of water. cover and simmer for about an hour. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the crab meat and cook until the vegetables are done. about 20-30 minutes. Pick through the crab meat, and remove all of the cartilage. cut a couple of while crab sections into quarters with claws and legs intact. Add crab meat, and crab sections and heat through. serve with extra crab seasoning, or your favorite hot sauce! enjoy!

Cioppino - Italian Fish Stew

San Francisco is a seafood lovers kind of city. I visited a few years back and I was blown away by all of the great seafood available in this fine city. One dish that I tried for the first time was Cioppino. I can best describe this seafood stew with one word...AWESOME!!

I am a big soup guy anyway, but the flavors that come out in this soup, are to die for. I used as much fresh local seafood as I could for this recipe. Rockfish from the Chesapeake, Clams from Indian River Inlet in Delaware, and Mussels from a farm in Delaware. The Shrimp and Scallops are not available around here, so I just picked them up at the store. For the fish stock, I used some frozen clam juice that I saved from steaming a batch earlier in the summer. 

As you are starting to realize, this soup was invented using whatever ingredients were available at the time. So to be as authentic as possible...do the same thing. Use what you have available. 

Ingredients:
4 cloves of Garlic, Chopped

1 stalk of Celery, finely minced
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Pinch of Hot Pepper Flakes
1 Cup of Pinot Grigio (or whatever white wine you have sitting around)
15 oz can of Crushed or Diced Tomatoes
3 Cups of Fish Stock

Seafood:

1 Pound fish fillets

1 pound of Mussels, cleaned, 1 pound of Clams, cleaned
1 pound of Shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1/2 pound of Bay Scallops

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Add the oil in a large pot and preheat over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery,  pepper flakes and parsley, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the veggies begin to cook down.

2) Add the wine and let it cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and the fish stock. Let the mixture come up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

3) Add the seafood and cover with a lid, cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until all the shellfish has opened and the shrimp and scallops are firm.

4) Ladle into bowls, add a pinch or two of chopped fresh parsley, and serve with some crusty garlic bread. Enjoy!

Stuffed Flounder - Chesapeake Style

Up and down the east coast more fisherman target Flounder than any other species. Seaside inlets and bays are filled with boats and anglers drifting live minnows, strips of squid, or various artificial baits in hopes of hooking up with a flat fish during the summer vacation months. 

If you've eaten Flounder, there is no surprise why so many people pursue this tasty game fish. the light flaky meat, with its firm texture and mild taste make it a favorite at most restaurants along the coast. Here, we will pair it with another restaurant favorite, blue crab meat. This recipe is simple to make and very tasty! Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 lbs. flounder fillets
• 1 cup backfin Chesapeake crab meat
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon roasted red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 4 saltine crackers, crushed
• 1 egg, separated
• 6 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Rinse and dry the Flounder. Remove the shell from crab meat and add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, green pepper, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and crackers. In a small bowl or measure, combine egg white and 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise. Add to crab mixture and toss until well blended. Brush fillets  with melted butter. Place Flounder in greased shallow baking pan and top center of each fillet with even amounts of the crab mixture. fold fillets over top of crab meat. Drizzle remaining butter over top of stuffed fillets. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Combine egg yolk and remaining mayonnaise. Spread egg mixture on top of each fillet and sprinkle with paprika. Increase temperature to 450° and bake 6 minutes longer, or until golden and bubbly.