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 Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp sweet onions peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted and chopped (see Recipe Note)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage leaves minced
- 2 - 3 large fresh sage leaves
- 8 - 12 very small fresh sage leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leafed parsley chopped
- 2 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme minced
- ¼ tsp wild fennel pollen optional
- 20 medium-sized morels washed, any Morchella species except M. verpas
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp rendered bacon fat
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
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 colour. Remove from the heat promptly.
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