Impromptu Gourmet

You know it is a good thing when you have a farm market a 5 minute walk from your house. It becomes an even better thing when you have a disappointingly wet spring which just happens to be good for mushrooms. It becomes an excellent thing when that market spontaneously carries fresh morel mushrooms, you buy some and just cannot wait to get home and devour them. One of the best things about food that is in season is the greediness that accompanies it. You know you will have to wait a whole year before you get to eat it again, so you just have to get your fill while you can. So it was with me and my morels. When the greediness combines with needing to get dinner on the table 5 minutes ago, there is an opportunity for creativity.

Spaghetti With Creamy Morel Sauce Accompanied by a Flower Salad

We put the pasta (I think it was spaghetti) on and then sauteed the morels for a few minutes until they reduced significantly and gave off their musky juice. Meanwhile, I started a roux with some salt and pepper, some fresh thyme from the garden, olive oil, butter, and white flour. When it was just ready for some liquid I gradually poured in the morel juices (reserving the mushrooms for later) and stirred until it thickened. When it was ready for more liquid I added some cream or whole milk until we had sufficient quantity of sauce. We then poured the sauce over the pasta after it was dished up and arranged a handful of the morels on top.

To go with this main we had a flowery garden-combing salad. We picked miscellaneous fresh lettuces (mild), rose petals (only organic roses are for eating.....ever!) from our roses, calendula petals, sage flowers, arugula and giant red mustard flowers.

Voila! A beautiful feast.