Morels and Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's day everyone! It was my first one, and I have to admit the feeling was a bit odd. Should I be celebrating my mom? Should she be celebrating me? Should I celebrate myself? It was a lovely day and I did positively nothing. We did not go out for brunch--when I was still working in restaurants Easter brunch and Mother's day brunch were both days of reckoning. I've lived through horror stories about running out of food and people keep coming.P and I had very low key plans for dinner--takeout from the new Thai place that we like, but then our farmer's market basket arrived and plans changed.
Our Farmer's market basket arrives every Sunday, hand delivered and fresh from the farmer. For me, emptying the whole foods re-usable bag that it arrives in is almost like Christmas morning, without all of the wrapping paper to recycle. And yes, I realize it is a luxury to have someone shop the farmer's market for me, but really it's the best thing that I have done for myself all year. There is always fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge, I can support the farmer and the local economy and with a well stocked pantry I can easily put together a yummy meal in no time. There are always one or two items that surprise and inspire me. Mother's day was Morels. When I opened the small paper bag that contained them, I was positively delighted! I have a very special relationship with Morels, you see. Morels are the honeycomb shaped mushrooms that are available from about mid april to mid june. They have a haunting woodsy taste and are among my favorite mushrooms. Morels are best purchased fresh--they dry ones have lost much of their elusive flavor. They are best simply prepared, sauteed with garlic and butter and if you are feeling really decadent, finished with heavy cream. They are a wonderful companion to asparagus, sugar snap peas, omelets and as a sauce for chicken or beef. The first time that I had a morels was in Paris, from the farmer's market and I was immediately and completely in love. When my mom visited me that spring it was one of the food discoveries that I shared with her (that and my favorite place to get pastries from) I managed to make her the most perfect omelette with farm fresh eggs and fragrant morels. She still talks about it to this day. This Mother's day, however, we had leftover roast chicken in the fridge and pasta in the pantry. With the addition of asparagus, morels, a touch of garlic and heavy cream P and I were enjoying meal fit for a king (or new parents) in no time at all. Here's how to do it.

Mother's Day Pasta with Morels
6 oz of dried pasta, I like spaghetti or linguine for this dish.
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 oz of Morels, cleaned and sliced*
8 oz. of asparagus, the tough bottom tips snapped off and the remaining spears cut into 1" lengths.
1 1/2 c. leftover roast chicken, cut into bite size pieces.
1/2c. heavy cream
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
*Morels can be full of grit and even insects. Make sure that you clean them thoroughly. Start by placing them in a bowl full of cold water and swish them around a bit. Lift them out of the water. If they are extremely dirty, repeat the bath. Next, split them in half lengthwise and cut them crosswise into strips. If the morels are small you can simply split them in half to check for any extra protein. (i.e. insects.)
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the back of the box.
Melt the butter in a wide saute pan and saute the garlic for 2 or 3 minutes until fragrant. Toss in the morels and saute for 3 or 4 more minutes. Add the asparagus and pour in the heavy cream. Let the cream simmer for a few minutes until it has thickened slightly. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Season to taste with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss with the pasta and enjoy! I like to serve this with a French style chardonnay, such as Stubbs chardonnay from Marin County. If you wanted a red wine with this, I would recommend a Pinot Noir or another light red such as a Beajolais.