Photos courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society Press
Butter-Braised Asparagus and Morels
Michael Karns, Dennis Becker and Lisa Golden Schroeder
It's almost time for our fungi friends to start peeping up from the rain-soaked soil of spring—which means it's almost time to eat them! I'm loving this new book from the Minnesota Society Historical Press about our little ground-and-tree huggers called Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table. I feel certain I've seen every mushroom book from our part of the world and this one really stands out, the photography is just jaw-droppingly beautiful, and the book also has useful field guide information, and home kitchen-friendly recipes. As someone with dozen mushroom cookbooks on my bookshelves, let me tell you, pulling off this trifecta of beauty, brains, and realistic ambition is not easy. Thanks and congrats to the authors, forager Michael Karns, photographer Dennis Becker, and food stylist and recipe developer Lisa Golden Schroeder. The book grew out of the blog the three run together, also called Untamed Mushrooms, and they have multiple events scheduled all spring and summer to support the book, if you want to live like a mushroom insider, go! Now I don't actually have anything more to say about this dazzling tome, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw some morels and butter in a pan, because I just lived through the longest possible winter and need to have spring on a plate, stat!
Butter-Braised Spring Asparagus & Morels
Untamed Mushrooms book cover
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ pound fresh morel mushrooms, halved if large
- ½ small red onion, cut into thin slivers
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup torn or roughly chopped fresh dill, tarragon, lovage, or chervil, plus some whole leaves
Directions
Snap off the tough bottoms of the asparagus spears. If using large, thick asparagus peel the lower ends with a vegetable peeler. Set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and red onion; season with salt and pepper. Sauté about 6 minutes or until just tender. Scrape into a bowl.
Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in skillet; add asparagus in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Add ½ cup water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook about 3 minutes or until the asparagus is firm-tender and still bright green.
Remove asparagus from pan and arrange on a serving platter.
Increase heat to high; simmer pan juices briskly about 1 minute or until reduced. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Turn off heat; stir in torn herbs. Spoon morels and red onion over the asparagus, along with the pan juices. Scatter a few fresh herb leaves on top.
Kitchen Notes
Save the tough ends of the asparagus if you’re inclined toward chilled spring soups. Simmer them in a good chicken or mushroom broth with some garlic chives or watercress and some chopped new potatoes. Purée the soup, add a splash of cream and some chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and chill. Serve in small cups with a spoonful of sautéed morels and toasted croutons. This recipe is a good one for playing with fresh herbs: I always like tarragon in the spring, and dill is an easy partner. But if you’ve got a spray of lovage, with its celery-like taste, in your garden or delicate chervil, toss them in.
Reprinted with permission from Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table by Michael Karns, Dennis Becker and Lisa Golden Schroeder, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press. untamedmushrooms.com
