Celebrate spring with this easy side dish of sautéed asparagus, wood morels, and green garlic. Precious!
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A spring trifecta – morels, asparagus and green garlic
This week I bought some morels at the market and decided to sauté them in some olive oil and butter with some asparagus and green garlic.
So good! Like Serious Well. My love took a tentative bite and then gobbled the rest. I’ve made it 3 times this week.
morels
Have you ever cooked with morels or searched for morels?
Morels are exquisite spring mushrooms with an unusual and distinctive honeycomb appearance.
In the mushroom-hunting world, morels are considered good “beginner” mushrooms because they are so easy to identify.
Morels appear in old orchards and sometimes in freshly laid garden mulch (I often find morels in our former orchard).
Because of all these nooks and crannies, morels can have a tendency to stick to some grits. So, to cook with them, you should soak them in water first and drain and soak them again several times.
Then you just slice them up and cook them like you would any mushroom; They are delicious!
If fresh morels are not available, you can also use dry morels, you just have to soak them in water for several hours to rehydrate them.
Green Garlic
Regarding the green garlic, I’ve seen versions with shallots, but since green garlic is readily available on the market, I went with it for this recipe.
You can use shallots, scallions, scallions, or leeks if green garlic isn’t available where you are. But if you find fresh morels at your market, chances are you’ll find green garlic too!
Green garlic tastes like garlic-scented scallions, very mild, not at all as strong or overpowering as ripe garlic.
We like this dish served on its own for an easy lunch, but it would be a great side dish with chicken or beef. Enjoy!
Sauteed asparagus with morels
This recipe uses fresh morels, but you can use dried morels as well. Use about 1 ounce. Soak them in water for 6 hours or overnight.
Green garlic or spring garlic is unripe garlic available in spring. There is no paper cover. You use and chop the green garlic just like you would a green onion.
ingredients
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1/4 pound fresh morels
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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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2 tbsp butter
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1-2 green garlic cloves, sliced (white and purple bulbs and light green stem), (can substitute shallots)
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1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (can use dry thyme or a combination of thyme and dry tarragon)
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1 pound asparagus, trimmed (choose asparagus on the thin side)
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Salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
method
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Prepare the morels:
Halve morels lengthwise. Place in a bowl and cover with water. Stir the water to loosen sand or dirt from the mushrooms. drain. Repeat. Then top up with water and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
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Cooking asparagus:
Fill the bottom of a large skillet with about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch water. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt. Add a slice of the prepared green garlic. Bring to a boil.
Add the asparagus in an even layer. Cook until just barely cooked (still firm but easily pierce with a fork), about 3 minutes. (See Cooking Asparagus.)
Pour into a bowl of ice water to stop boiling.
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Drain and slice morels:
Drain the morels and rinse again. Then slice them crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.
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Fry green garlic and morels:
Heat olive oil and melt butter in a large skillet (I use a 10-inch cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped green garlic and chopped morels.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence.
Cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to release their water, about 3 to 5 minutes.
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Add asparagus:
While the mushrooms are cooking, cut the asparagus into 1-inch (2.5 cm) diagonal segments.
Add the asparagus to the mushroom and garlic mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper, mix.
Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
