As a professional chef, I rely heavily on the recipes my family has passed down through the generations. But let’s look further back: I think that when we eat wild foods, we relive deeply satisfying ancestral memories. The morel is more than just a wild food; it is among the most delectable of edibles. For me, good eating provides plenty of motivation to fill my basket with wild morels. I’ve used this family recipe, which is of Italian origin, many times.
Morels Stuffed with Sausage and Sage
As a professional chef, I rely heavily on the recipes my family has passed down through the generations. But let’s look further back: I think that when we eat wild foods, we relive deeply satisfying ancestral memories. The morel is more than just a wild food; it is among the most delectable of edibles. For me, good eating provides plenty of motivation to fill my basket with wild morels. I’ve used this family recipe, which is of Italian origin, many times.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces ground pork
- ¼ cup golden raisins, plumped in hot water and chopped
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp peeled and grated sweet onions
- 2 tbsp toasted and chopped pine nuts (see note)
- 1 tbsp minced fresh sage leaves, 2 to 3 large fresh sage leaves, and 8 to 12 very small fresh sage leaves, divided
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon wild fennel pollen (optional)
- 20 medium-sized morels (any Morchella species except M. verpas), washed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp rendered bacon fat
- 4 tbsp salted butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Notes
Combine the pork, raisins, breadcrumbs, cheese, onions, pine nuts, minced sage, parsley, garlic, thyme, and fennel pollen, if using, in a medium mixing bowl. Mix and set aside.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small regular tip with the pork filling. Pipe the filling into the morels, place on a baking tray and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Alternatively, roll the pork mixture into meatballs a little smaller than your morels and stuff the caps. You may have to slit open the stems to do this.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the vegetable oil and bacon fat in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the stuffed morels and brown them for 4 minutes or so, then add the large sage leaves and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes. Place the skillet into the hot oven and cook the morels for 8 to 10 minutes until the pork filling has lost its pink hue. Remove the skillet from the oven and place it back on the burner. Add the butter and small sage leaves and heat over medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter is browned. Season the morels with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Note: To toast pine nuts, place the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Shaking the pan frequently, toast the nuts until they begin to take on a golden color. Remove from the heat promptly.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the vegetable oil and bacon fat in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the stuffed morels and brown them for 4 minutes or so, then add the large sage leaves and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes. Place the skillet into the hot oven and cook the morels for 8 to 10 minutes until the pork filling has lost its pink hue. Remove the skillet from the oven and place it back on the burner. Add the butter and small sage leaves and heat over medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter is browned. Season the morels with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Note: To toast pine nuts, place the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Shaking the pan frequently, toast the nuts until they begin to take on a golden color. Remove from the heat promptly.
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