Morel mushrooms are small to large in size with caps that are oblong, cone-shaped, bulbous, or egg-shaped and are attached to short, stout stems. The cap averages 2-7 centimeters in diameter and ranges in color from blonde, light brown, grey, to dark brown. The fragile, brittle cap also has a hollow, honeycomb-like exterior that consists of many irregular holes and ridges with a small, bumpy texture and attaches directly to the stem. Inside the cap and stem, there is a hollow cavity running the length of the mushroom and the stem is white and averages 2-9 centimeters in length.
When cooked, Morel mushrooms are meaty and tender with a deep, earthy, nutty, and woodsy flavour.
Morel mushrooms should not be consumed raw and are best suited for cooked applications such as sautéing or frying. Both the stems and the caps are edible and are most commonly sautéed with butter, salt, and pepper or are cooked in wine or cream-based sauces. Morel mushrooms can be mixed into pasta or risotto, served on top of meat with roasted vegetables, blended into a cream cheese spread as an appetizer, served on toast, or cooked into mushroom soup. They can also be stuffed with cheese and meat, breaded, and fried for a crispy bite. When preparing and handling, it is important to note that fresh Morel mushrooms are very brittle and can easily crumble, but they can also be dried for extended use and rehydrated when needed. Morel mushrooms pair well with English peas, asparagus, onion, shallots, garlic, white wine, parmesan cheese, dry vermouth, dry sherry, stock, lemon juice, sausage, bacon, pork, poultry, beef, nutmeg, five-spice, parsley, chives, tarragon, walnuts, soy sauce, and water chestnuts. They will keep up to one week when stored in the refrigerator and up to one year when dried.
