Our favorite local grocery had a tail-end supply of morels this week, so Jean took advantage of the situation and brought home a big bag of them. Hating to see a good ingredient go to waste (I much prefer them to go to waist), I whipped up the following dish:
Morel sauce
1 very large shallot, minced
2 dozen smallish morels, cut lengthwise
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano
In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until soft. Add in the morels and continue cooking over medium heat with frequent stirring until they're soft. Add in broth and half-and-half and turn up heat to high. Reduce to less than a half cup of liquid, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with black pepper and salt (if needed).
Cook 2 cups of fetuccini, drain and add directly to the pan containing the sauce. Serve immediately. This dish to me fairly cries out to me for red Burgundy, so a bottle of 2002 Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee which, alas, was a bit lacking in the earthy, mushroomy elements that I'd hoped to find but was nonetheless a pleasant complement to the dish.
Mark Lipton
