

Morels are the first seriously delicious mushrooms of the year to emerge. This delicious recipe merges their superb flavour (surely these must be in anyone’s top half-dozen wild mushrooms?) with yoghurt to create a light, creamy, dish with a hint of sour . . .
50g Butter
2 Shallots
1 Clove garlic
1 tspn Dijon mustard
100g Fresh morels (or 25g dried with 200g oyster mushrooms)
150ml Dry white wine
200g Greek yoghurt
Salt
Pepper
If using dried morels, warm the wine to near-boiling and soak for 20 – 30 minutes before starting to cook. Lightly sauté the shallots, garlic for two or three minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the shredded mushrooms and cook for another two minutes. Add the wine/stock (if using dried, chop these finely). Simmer for five minutes (morels should always be cooked – although this need not take long). As the sauce thickens to the consistency of cream, stir in the yoghurt. Season to taste, garnish with chopped parsley for colour (optional) and serve with steamed basmati rice and a crisp green side salad.
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Read the latest mushroom-hunting news – what is (and isn’t) up, what it looks like and where to find it . . . plus, of course, cooking and preserving tips. Better still, get regular updates in the comfort of your own home by taking up our free subscription - simply drop us a line via the 'Content' page or e-mail danielr.butler@btopenworld.com . . .
Mushoom Newsletter (11 August 2010)Our ancestors relied on wild food from the fields and woods, great great grandfathers were transported for helping themselves, while Mabey, Mears and Fearnley-Whittingstall have introduced a new generation to its charms. So what free delicacies are available now?
AlexandersBritain is blessed with a rich and varied fauna - what seasonal highlights are visible now?
BadgerJust as we Britons have lost any mushroom lore we might once have possessed, so most of us are at a loss when we finally venture into the kitchen with our haul. In reality, however, mushrooms are one of the easiest things to work with. They have such fantastic flavours, the general rule is to not to mask these with complicated recipes. Most should be cooked, particularly the first time, because they can be indigestible, but otherwise, simple is usually best . . .
Baked eggs and rocket with chilli and yoghurt (June 2010)Mushroom Newsletter (18 January 2012)
I wouldn’t normally send out a newsletter this early in the year, but the weather has been so unusual that several readers have written in with reports of unexpected finds . . . .
Hare
Brown hares used to be thought of as natives, but they were probably brought here two millennia ago . . .
Crab Apple
The self-seeded descendents of cultivated apples abound in hedgerows. Often mistakenly called 'crab apples', these sports are generally too tart to eat, but they make a brilliant base for a savoury jelly . . .
Mushroom Parcels
These crunchy, fluffy, packages are a cross between a samosa and a pastie. They combine butter-brushed filo pastry, cream cheese and delicate fungi.to make a delicious starter, picnic filler or veggie maincourse . . .
German mushroom knife
These specially imported knives have a hawk's bill stainless steel blade, lanyard hook and measuring scale. The blade's serrated back and inbuilt natural bristle brush allow collectors to clean their finds in the field.