Morilles Sautées (Sautéed Morels )
Trim off the bulbous ends of the stems of 1 pound morels, wash them very thoroughly to remove every bit of sand, and drain and dry them well. Leave the small ones whole and cut the large ones in halves or quarters. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons salad oil in a shallow pan. add the morels, and cook them over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Morilles Bonne Fernme
To 1 pound sautéed morels add ¼ pound diced fat pork, fresh or sale, sautéed to a golden brown. Season the morels lightly with salt and pepper, add 2 tablespoons chopped shallots, and cook all together slowly for about 15 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Morilles à la Bordelaise
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a shallow pan with ½ teaspoon lemon juice and in it saute 1 pound cleaned morels for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the morels, cut off the stems, and chop them. Brown the caps lightly in ¼ dtp very hot oil. Drain them and transfer them to a serving dish. Discard the oil from the pan and add 3 tablespoons butter. the chopped stems, l tablespoon chopped shallot, and 5 tablespoons fine fresh bread crumbs. Stir together over the heat until stems and crumbs are gulden brown. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Spread this mixture over the morels and sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.
Morilles à la Provençale
Follow the recipe for morilles borde-laise, adding 2 cloves garlic, finely crushed, to the crumb mixture.
Morilles à la Crème (Morels in Cream Sauce)
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce-pan and in it saute lightly 1 pound cleaned morels. Add ½ tablespoon flour and mix well. Add 1 cup light cream and cook all together for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the morels to the serving dish and continue to cook the sauce until it is thick and smooth. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons heavy cream, correct the seasoning with a little salt, and add a little freshly ground pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the morels and serve with toast.
Moriles Farcies au Gratin (Stuffed Morels au Gratin)
Clean 3 dozen large morels and chop the stems finely. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan, add 1 tablespoon chopped shallots, the chopped morel stems, and a little salt. Cook until the moisture has evaporated. Acd a little freshly ground pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 2 cloves crushed garlic, ½ cup finely chopped cooked ham and 3 tablespoons fine fresh bread crumbs. Correct the seasoning with salt. Slit each morel at the side and stuff it with the prepared mixture. Butter the bottom of a heatproof dish generously and arrange the stuffed morels in the dish. Sprinkle them with fine bread crumbs and with a little melted butter. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lopping is browned.
Although nature is very parsimonious With her mortis, she is certainly generous when it comes to mussels. Wherever mussels are found, on the coastlines of this country and Europe, they appear in great quantities. They attach themselves to every rock, to any pole in the water, and cover mud flats when the tides go out, clinging tenaciously to any available support. Their plenitude and the fact that they are so popular with the French make supplying moules—as we call them—to restaurants an important industry in France. Any good French restaurant a day's transportation away from the coast will have moules on the menu.
Whether you gather mussels yourself or buy them in the market, the rule for them is the same as for the other bivalves. They must be (Jive when they arc cooked. Live mussels hold their shells together so tightly that it is difficult to pry them apart. Discard any with open shells. A French shopper is also suspicious of mussels that are overly heavy, because this sometimes indicates that a dirty stone or other foreign material has gotten inside the shell and will be released when the shells open, spoiling the sauce.
The basic rules about the preparation of mussels are simple, and there arc just three of them. Mussels must be thoroughly scrubbed, one by one, to remove all the mud, dirt, and bits of seaweed that cling to them. Use plenty of water, changing it often, and a good stiff brush. Next, trim off the “beard” or fringe of vegetation around the edges. And last, don't cook the mussels too long. When the shells open they are ready to cat. Longer cooking will toughen them.
You'll notice that in most recipes a little white wine is used in the kettle along with the seasonings and that the cooked mussels are served on the half shell with a sauce made from the cooking liquor poured over them. The true devotee cats the mussels with a small fish fork and drinks the saute from the shell, and usually he spoons up what is left in the dish or mops it up with his bread.
Moules Marinière (Steamed Mussels)
Scrub 24 to 36 mussels well and wash them in running water. Pat them in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons finely Chopped shallots and 1 cup whi:e wine. Cover the pan and cook the bivalves for 6 to 8 minutes or until they open. Remove one shell from each mussel, leaving the meat attached to the other shell. Put the mussels in a serving dish. Reduce the liquor in the pan to half its original quantity and thicken it with manié butter made by creaming together
2 tablespoons butter and ½ teaspoon Hour. Roll the pan to swirl in the butter. Add 1 more tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and if desired ½ teaspoon finely chopped chives. Correct the seasoning with salt, add a little freshly ground pepper, and pour the sauce over the mussels.
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