Morels in butter (kuzugöbeği)

Name: Morels in butter (kuzugöbeği)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 19 min
Total time: 54 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Turkish / European
Ingredients: 200 g fresh morels, or 25–30 g dried morels; 3 tbsp butter; 1 shallot, finely chopped; or half a small onion; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked; ½ tsp salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 4 slices toasted sourdough

Morels sautéed in butter with shallot, garlic and thyme and piled onto toasted sourdough; works with fresh or dried morels.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 19 min
Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium

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Morel

Morels, with their honeycomb caps and hollow stems, appear for just a few weeks each spring and are among the most prized of all mushrooms. In Turkey they're called kuzugöbeği, literally lamb's belly button. Their nutty, faintly smoky flavour shines brightest when cooked simply in butter, so this recipe keeps things minimal.

Morels must never be eaten raw: always cook them thoroughly. They're a wild mushroom with poisonous look-alikes, so only use morels bought from a trusted seller or identified by an expert, and don't cook any that aren't completely hollow from top to bottom when cut in half.

Servings 2

Ingredients

Tick them off as you go.

For the morels

200 g fresh morels, or 25–30 g dried morels
3 tbsp butter
1 shallot, finely chopped; or half a small onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
½ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

To serve

1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 slices toasted sourdough

Method

Tap a step when it's done; in cook mode the next one is highlighted.

If you're using dried morels, cover them with about 300 ml of warm water and leave for 20–30 minutes until soft and plump. Lift them out, squeezing gently, then strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or muslin and set it aside, leaving the grit behind at the bottom. Skip this step for fresh morels.
~25 min
Morels are hollow, and their honeycomb surface can hide sand, soil and tiny insects. Trim the stalk ends, cut each morel in half lengthways and check inside. Swish them in a few changes of cold water, then pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
~10 min
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Once the foam subsides, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
~3 min
Add the morels, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 8–10 minutes, turning now and then, until piping hot and tender all the way through. Morels must never be eaten raw or undercooked, as they can cause stomach upsets, so don't cut this time short.
~10 min
Add the garlic and thyme and stir for a minute. If you used dried morels, pour in 100 ml of the strained soaking liquid and let it bubble for 3 minutes until it has reduced into a glossy, buttery sauce.
~4 min
Season with salt and pepper and scatter with parsley. Pile onto the toasted sourdough, spoon over the butter from the pan and serve straight away.
~2 min

Enjoy!

The mushroom in this recipe

Morel Morchella esculenta

About this species Identify by photo

Mushroom swaps

Chanterelle Cantharellus cibariusNo soaking needed; it cooks in butter in 6–7 minutes.
Dried porcini / cep Boletus edulisSoak it like dried morels and add the strained soaking liquid to the pan.
Shiitake Lentinula edodesEasy to find; discard the stalks and slice the caps thickly.

Tips

The strained soaking liquid from dried morels is packed with flavour; use any you don't need here in a risotto or soup.
Cook the morels in a single layer; crowded in the pan, they'll steam instead of browning.
Only use morels from a trusted seller or identified by an expert, and always cook them through; never eat them raw or undercooked.
Stir in a spoonful of cream to thicken the sauce and it makes a lovely pasta sauce too.

Storage

Keep fresh morels in a paper bag in the fridge for 2–3 days; never in plastic. Dried morels keep for months in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place. Cooked morels should be eaten by the next day; store them in the fridge and reheat thoroughly in a pan.

Read our guide to storing mushrooms →

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Kitchen guides

Before you cook: clean, store, dry

How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.

How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.

How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.