Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Morels have arrived! Hurrah!

Every year we wait for this moment ... when the first reports of morels reach us by e-mail or by cell phone!  Hurrah!

Truthfully, we had been concerned about this year's morel season.  One of our dearest friends and most experienced morel gatherers had cautioned us over the phone last month that with such a relatively dry, mild winter in the Pacific Northwest,  we shouldn't expect many morels.  Well, thankfully, she was wrong, with a capital W.

We encountered these black morels (Morchella elata)
under conifers in 2008.  Note how well they blend
with the pine cone in the lower left corner of the photograph.

April 2015's Recipe of the Month: Mike Sabella's Chicken-Fried Porcini Ribs with Cucumber Sauce

Mike Sabella, our 2015 recipe contest winner, actually submitted 2 recipes.  His Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut easily convinced the judges to award him first prize in the contest.  His second recipe, Chicken-Fried Porcini Ribs, captured the judges' attention with its unique mushroom powder and panko coating.  Michael graciously agreed to allow us to print this second creation on our website as a "Recipe of the Month". 

Hum, the judges wondered after tasting the ribs, can Michael be a fan of a favorite Japanese dish, Pork Tonkatsu?  The similarity is certainly there.  In fact, one of the judges whipped up a batch of homemade tonkatsu sauce to serve with the ribs... we all found it to be a delicious contrast to the cool cucumber sauce.  We've included a recipe for this yummy, homemade tonkatsu sauce at the bottom of this post, in case you'd like to try it as well. 

 

When dried and ground into a fine
powder, boletes make a delicious coating.