Stuffed Morels

Photo: flickr user Kent Wang

Ingredients

8 to 10 large morels

2 cups bread crumbs (from firm white bread, )

cup chopped cooked chicken

cup melted butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

teaspoon pepper

cup light cream

Preparation

Cut the morels in half lengthwise; rinse them in cold water, amd soak for a few minutes in a minutes in a mixture of 1 quart water and 1 teaspoon salt. Drain the morels well and dry on paper towels.

In a bowl combine the bread crumbs, chicken, butter, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. If there are additional morels, chop them finely and mix them with the stuffing. Loosely fill the morel halves with the stuffing, join the halves together, and tie them with string. Put the stuffed morels in a buttered casserole and pour the cream over them. Bake in a hot oven (400F.) for about 25 minutes.

NOTE: The morel halves can also be stuffed and baked open-faced, substituting a mixture of 1/2 cup chicken broth and 2 tablespoons white wine for the cream. Bake them in a hot oven (400F.) for 18-20 minutes.

The Wild Flavor