Email
PrintMorel and edamame crostini from DeepWood
Tim Johnson
One of the joys of spring is the arrival of fresh, local food. Admittedly, the grown produce is pretty much limited to asparagus and rhubarb, but for a brief window wild edibles can be gathered, too.
More than 2,000 varieties of wild mushrooms grow around Columbus and, of these, morels are the most coveted. They start to appear in early April and grow in moist conditions, often appearing after an early spring rain when the redbud trees are blooming. Morels have large white stems and elongated conical caps that look a bit like sponges.
Their earthy, nutty flavor pairs well with spring vegetables. They can be sautéed, strewn on a pizza, added to stocks, sauces and stews and incorporated into crepes, gratins or pasta, among other tasty uses.
Executive chef Brian Pawlak of DeepWood contributes his recipe for morel and edamame crostini topped with an herbed goat cheese tempura-battered morel. It’s likely that DeepWood will continue a tradition of offering a multi-course morel mushroom dinner this year. Check its website for details (deepwoodrestaurant.com).
Morel and Edamame Crostini (serves six)
Goat cheese tempura-battered morel
Stuffing
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon shallot, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
Batter
3/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup blended oil (70 percent vegetable to 30 percent virgin olive oil)
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
In a skillet, sauté garlic and shallots in butter until soft and translucent and let cool. Mix rest of ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and add cooled garlic and shallot. Mix well. Stuff six morels with mixture. Use two toothpicks to close the hole in each morel.
Whisk water, oil and egg together. Add 3/4 cup flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in final 1/4 cup flour, leaving a few lumps as necessary to avoid overworking. Dip stuffed morel in batter covering all but toothpicks and fry in vegetable oil at 325 degrees until golden brown.
Crostini
1/4 cup morels, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Madeira wine
1/4 cup edamame, blanched, shocked and smashed into a purée
1 baguette, sliced, rubbed with olive oil and toasted to become crostini
In a skillet, sauté garlic and shallots in butter until translucent. Add morels and cook until the mushrooms soften. Deglaze pan with Madeira and cook until almost dry. Cool.
Top crostini with edamame purée and then top with cooked morels. Place one stuffed and battered morel on top.
