Thursday, June 4, 2009

Sauteed morels with white asparagus and fava beans

As soon as spring hits, I keep an eye out for fresh morels at the market. I was lucky enough to find some really nice ones a few weeks ago. I took a cue from Sunday Suppers at Lucques and combined the morels with white asparagus and fava beans to make a delicious spring vegetable dish. The original recipe uses ramps, but I couldn’t find any when I made this, so I used the fava beans instead.

There’s not much that's better than fresh morels with butter. The asparagus and fava beans complemented the morels nicely. I served this over polenta as a main course, but it would also work well as a side dish.

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51 comments:

  1. LK- Healthy DeliciousJune 4, 2009 at 8:01 PM

    beautiful!!! i can never find good fresh mushrooms here. The best I've been able to find is oyster. Bah.

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  2. Donna-FFWJune 4, 2009 at 8:06 PM

    Sara- you and that book are like peas and carrots. I bet it is one of those books that has the dogeared pages, notes on the sides, and creased spine?? :)

    The mushrooms and beans and asparagus look like they work beautifully together.

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  3. Christina KimJune 4, 2009 at 8:09 PM

    Oh, is that polenta? Those veges would go lovely on a pillowy bed of polenta. Beautiful photo!

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  4. Sippity SupJune 4, 2009 at 8:14 PM

    Whenever morel pops up in google I get pinged! Yippees for this one GREG

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  5. ♥peachkins♥June 4, 2009 at 8:22 PM

    Morrels are not really common around here. I doubt if I can find one at the grocery or at the market but this dish looks fantastic.

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  6. SelbaJune 4, 2009 at 8:26 PM

    What aan amazing dish... Love how the food picture is taken :)

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  7. SeanJune 4, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    Looks gorgeous! I love the white asparagus!

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  8. IreneJune 4, 2009 at 9:15 PM

    I am so jealous of the morels! Haven't had them since I was little and so so miss them!

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  9. Barbara BakesJune 4, 2009 at 9:28 PM

    Such gorgeous veggies. I would love to give them a try!

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  10. ManggyJune 4, 2009 at 9:36 PM

    What an elegant entree/side! It just screams "spring!!" to this guy who doesn't get spring in his country :)

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  11. Rosa's Yummy YumsJune 4, 2009 at 9:58 PM

    Seasonal ingredients are wonderful! That dish looks extremely delightful!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  12. unconfidentialcookJune 4, 2009 at 10:07 PM

    I know, there's nothing like fresh morels. I used to go "morel hunting" and then make pasta with butter and cream. So good (and a lot less healthy than your beautiful vegetable dish).

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  13. Angie's RecipesJune 4, 2009 at 10:40 PM

    There's nothing like fresh morels...
    Ivory white asparagus and coffee brown morels match perfectly.

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  14. LaDue & CrewJune 4, 2009 at 11:09 PM

    Looks so delicious Sara! I have got to hunt down some morels!

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  15. La Cuisine d'HeleneJune 4, 2009 at 11:13 PM

    I've never seen morels around here. With the white asparagus it makes such a lovely plate.

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  16. AnushrutiJune 4, 2009 at 11:36 PM

    The white asparagus looks wonderful in this dish!

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  17. Foodie with Little Thyme!June 5, 2009 at 4:11 AM

    Beautiful!
    Looks very light and yummy for summer.

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  18. RobinJune 5, 2009 at 5:29 AM

    Could you come over here and take all my blog pictures? You have the touch! Love all these healthy veggies you are highlighting.

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  19. AnonymousJune 5, 2009 at 6:07 AM

    These are such beautiful veggies! Love morels, all should go so well with polenta! Yummy!

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  20. CathyJune 5, 2009 at 6:17 AM

    Beautiful pics Sara! I love white asparagus with anything.

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  21. Melissa @ For the Love of HealthJune 5, 2009 at 6:39 AM

    Beautiful Sarah!! I bet it tastes divine!

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  22. ZoeJune 5, 2009 at 6:43 AM

    Gorgeous. Great over polenta.

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  23. Culinary WannabeJune 5, 2009 at 7:03 AM

    Nice way to play with colors and make those brown morels look pretty, instead of, well, brown. :) And I can't believe you haven't made gelato - I actually like the texture of it better than the ice cream I make at home. Happy weekending!

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  24. DewiJune 5, 2009 at 7:09 AM

    Love Fava Beans, this look so delicious. Your morels look so fresh! Wow!

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  25. Creative Classroom CoreJune 5, 2009 at 7:31 AM

    Ive really gotta get a hold of some fava beans - they sound delicious!

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  26. foodcreate.comJune 5, 2009 at 9:07 AM

    Beautiful! I love asparagus.. I grew up in Ill, we grew asparagus on the farm...
    Love them.Great salad
    Thanks for sharing your recipe:0

    And thank you for visiting!
    http://foodcreate.com
    see you soon!

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  27. The Duo DishesJune 5, 2009 at 10:16 AM

    Your picture is great. Polenta goes so well with veggies, right? Actually it goes well with just about everything!

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  28. gastroanthropologistJune 5, 2009 at 10:28 AM

    What a fabulous meal - love the colors of the fresh veggies and mushroom. Looks really tasty.

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  29. nora@ffrJune 5, 2009 at 11:52 AM

    sara this sound delish.. good combination. excellent photography :) keep it up!!

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  30. JescelJune 5, 2009 at 12:44 PM

    i gotta admit, i haven't tried morels yet, having migrated to the US just a few years back. it looks delish but i'd be intimidated to cook with it being not so familiar with it.

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  31. NKPJune 5, 2009 at 1:36 PM

    That looks so lovely! Like spring on a plate. Beautiful photos!

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  32. teresaJune 5, 2009 at 2:20 PM

    Gorgeous! This looks fantastic!

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  33. DianaJune 5, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    Yay for Lucques! I love it when you make recipes from Sunday Suppers or Ms. Silverton! :) I've actually never had morels before, but I'm sure if it they are sauteed in butter, I'd find plenty to like!

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  34. SomaJune 5, 2009 at 3:48 PM

    The best thing about our recipes Sara is the simplicity & it DOES NOT compromise the flavors & elegance. An Awesome combination. I am yet to see morels :-(

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  35. Gera@SweetsFoodsBlogJune 5, 2009 at 4:42 PM

    In my case morels aren’t common here anyway those veggies are really a fascinating seasonal dish :)

    Cheers!

    Gera

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  36. Jackie @PhamFatale.comJune 5, 2009 at 4:52 PM

    Oh your dish looks so luxurious. I don't cook morel mushrooms that often, I find them quite pricey at San Francisco farmers' market.

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  37. Christo GonzalesJune 5, 2009 at 6:06 PM

    I am going to have to put you under citizens arrest - it is illegal what you are doing to me!

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  38. ReeniJune 5, 2009 at 6:35 PM

    So fresh and delicious! Just awesome with the polenta!

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  39. pigpigscornerJune 6, 2009 at 2:57 AM

    The dish looks so appetising! Wonderful combination of ingredients and flavours.

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  40. Sam Hoffer / My Carolina KitchenJune 6, 2009 at 3:46 AM

    Gorgeous and very chic. We never get any goodies like morels or white asparagus here, although we bought white asparagus when we were in France at the outdoor markets. We thought it had a bit of a different flavor from the green but couldn't quite pin-point it. Slightly like an artichoke, maybe?

    Very elegant.
    Sam

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  41. ClaudiaJune 6, 2009 at 9:28 AM

    Here it is - morel season in Minnesota and I - cannot - find - any! This dish looks so wonderful and healthy loaded with taste. You'd think Farmer's Market would have found a patch of these tasy delectables by now. Great recipe 'cause it lets the morels shine.

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  42. Mrs. LCJune 6, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    As always, gorgeous dish! Out of curiosity, what kind of camera do you have? Also - could you describe the flavor/ texture difference between green and white asparagus? My mom and I were just talking about this a couple weeks ago, as neither of us have yet to try white asparagus. Thanks!!

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  43. MariaJune 6, 2009 at 11:31 AM

    That's the perfect meal!

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  44. noble pigJune 6, 2009 at 12:23 PM

    So nice for Sprng. Just gorgeous! Love the favas in there.

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  45. SaraJune 6, 2009 at 4:28 PM

    Donna - I actually hadn't cooked anything from the book in a few months! So the book is still intact for now.

    Mrs. LC - I think white asparagus is sweeter than green asparagus. It also has a noticably different texture. It's a little more crunch and fibrous, but in a good way. I use a Canon Rebel Xsi camera.

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  46. Mrs. LCJune 6, 2009 at 4:42 PM

    Thanks for getting back to me, Sara! :)

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  47. AnonymousJune 6, 2009 at 8:16 PM

    oh my gosh...thes are absolutely luscious...and you're serving it on grits? GORGEOUS!

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  48. BhartiJune 6, 2009 at 9:27 PM

    I have very few veggies at home and am at the moment craving them. Your dish looks so pretty. I've never eaten morels before.

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  49. Lori LynnJune 8, 2009 at 8:24 AM

    Love that cookbook!
    Such beautiful veggies. Serving over polenta looks perfect!
    LL

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  50. The Food HunterJune 8, 2009 at 12:46 PM

    What a great combo of veggies.

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  51. Nutmeg NannyJune 13, 2009 at 3:48 PM

    I love morels! My father and I always go mushroom hunting for them:) Delicious meal!!!

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