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Morel Mushroom Marsala

Sean Falcon

     Spring. The only thing this dish is missing is lamb...but that's another story. I used english peas still in their pods for this dish because using ingredients during their peak season helps ensure you're getting the most flavor out of each component. Morels love to soak up a good sauce, so a rich Marsala was my choice. You can use Madeira if Marsala isn't available. My market is mushroom heaven and they had some fantastic Morels sitting on the shelf, so there was no way I was passing them up. Due to time constraints, I ended up buying the pasta instead of making it myself, but it was fresh...not dried.

Ingredients

  • 1lbs English Peas (in their pods) -or- frozen peas
  • 1lbs Morel Mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini, oyster or any other wild mushroom will do. The cleaning process will differ, as Morels are the only mushrooms that we soak. The rest are just brushed clean or quickly dunked in water.)
  • 4 medium Crimini Mushrooms
  • 4-6 large shallots
  • 1 cup Dry Marsala Wine
  • 1 tsp or to taste of Sherry Vinegar (optional)
  • 1/4 cup of water from the COOKED pasta. AFTER you cook the pasta, scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooking water before you discard it. You'll add this to the sauce at the end.
  • 16oz chicken stock
  • 1lbs Fresh Pasta
  • Fresh grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese to taste
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
  • Kosher Salt

Cookware

  • 8qt Rondeau or similar
  • Oven preheated to 200°F to keep your plates warmed. Put them in the oven 3-5 minutes before you're about to serve. You want them warm, not scorching.

Prep

Fresh Peas: split pods and remove peas into a container. Boil water in a saucepan and blanch for 3 mins. Shock in ice water. Drain on paper towels. Set aside. If they're frozen, just reserve them for the end of the recipe.

Morels: trim off white bottoms. Soak in tepid water for a few minutes. The water will look brown and dirty. Remove the mushrooms, dump the water, refill and repeat until water stays clear.

Crimini: slice off the very bottom of the stem, then cut into thin slices or rough chop into 1/2 inch cubes

Shallots: peel and dice

Pasta water: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water a few minutes before you're ready to cook the pasta. NOTE: do not cook the pasta until you've finished the sauce below. DO NOT DISCARD THE PASTA WATER UNTIL YOU PLATE. More below.

Cooking Instructions

  • Melt 1/4 stick butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Make sure it is big enough to fit the mushrooms in a single layer. 
  • When it becomes aromatic, add the morels and sauté until they start to develop a nice caramelized exterior. About 10 mins, but depends on how much moisture they have in them from the cleaning process.
  • Add the crimini just as the Morels have finished cooking, and saute them until they've released their moisture. 3-5 minutes. Stir often so the Morels don't over-caramelize.
  • Add the shallots and sauté until translucent and soft, about 4 minutes
  • Turn the heat up to medium-high, wait 30 seconds (more or less depending on your stove's strength), then add marsala to deglaze.
  • Reduce by 2/3 over medium-high heat
  • Add Chicken stock
  • Reduce by 1/2 over medium-high heat
  • Turn the heat to low and add the peas (fresh or frozen both go in at this time). If the peas are frozen, they'll need a couple of minutes to warm up. You can turn the heat up to medium to speed this up.
  • TIP: If you're planning on using some of the reserved pasta cooking water in the 'finishing' section of this recipe, then back off the seasoning in this section just a bit. Add the pasta water at the end, and then do a final adjustment.
  • Add the reserved water from the cooked pasta when it's available from the steps below.
  • If desired, add a 1-2tsp of Sherry Vinegar or to taste
  • Adjust any seasonings to taste
  • Set aside while you cook the pasta

Pasta

  • Make sure your water is at a boil. 
  • Salt the water heavily. I usually do 2 heavy pinches (using 3-4 fingers to grab the salt), which is roughly a 1/4 cup.
  • Cook the pasta according the instructions on the packaging.
  • Once the pasta is cooked, strain it out of the water, and reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta's cooking water to season your sauce. See 'finishing' below.
  • Depending on how much you made you can either mix the pasta directly into the sauce or put it in a bowl off to the side. If it's going in a bowl, drizzle a tablespoon or so of Olive Oil on it and give it a couple of tosses. This will help stop them from sticking.

Finishing

  • Pour half of the pasta's cooking water into the sauce, stir it in, let it sit for 15 seconds and then taste. This will add a touch of salt and starch to your sauce, so be careful not to overdo it.
  • To finish this dish, the quick and easy way is to combine the pasta with the sauce and toss them together. At that point it's ready to plated and garnished.

A little extra love

  • If you'd like to give it a little extra love then you can prepare each plate separately.
  • About 5 minutes before you're ready to serve, put your serving plates in the preheated 200° oven.
  • In a separate medium fry pan over medium-low heat, add a nice ladle or two of your finished sauce.
  • Add one serving of cooked pasta
  • Add 1tsp of extra virgin olive oil over op
  • Add a few pinches of grated cheese
  • Toss everything together (or stir)
  • It is now ready to be plated and garnished with cheese to your tasting.

The Finished Dish