I must admit I’ve had a bit of a fantasy about trying morel mushrooms. They always seemed a bit too expensive, but the extra kick of knowing that these were picked locally was enough to get me to buy about 1/4 pound. These guys were picked by the crew of Foraged and Found, and I purchased them at the U District farmer’s market. I’ll make them the highlight of a sauce with steak for tomorrow night.

Here we have something that is even more exotic, at least in my humble opinion. Lady Fern fiddleheads:

I think the biggest challenge for me is trying to imagine what they taste like. Will they taste like asparagus with a strange texture? Will they taste like dirt? While I was in line I asked the woman behind me what she thought about them, and she cheerfully said “a small portion is more than enough.” I asked her what they taste like. “Very earthy.” To be honest, that reply made me a bit skeptical, but I’ll find out tomorrow for sure!

As for dinner last night, we made Moules au vin blanc. I spent part my honeymoon with Mike in Brussels, Belgium, and their moules, frites, and ale combos made our taste buds sing.

Since I have a preference for Belgian-style moules, I tried to fix them as I remember. I’ve also tasted both the Provencal and cream styles of bases, but this simple wine broth just makes me happy the way the others don’t.

2 pounds fresh mussels, cleaned!
2 cups white wine (used Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 shallots
2 stalks celery
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Sautee the shallots and celery in olive oil on medium-high heat under just tender, not brown. Add a bit of sea salt. Now add the white wine and thyme, and heat until boiling. Now, say hello to the mussels and tell them they’re been very good but it’s time to go, and pour them into your boiling wine broth. Cover pot with lid and cook approximately 7 minutes. Those little guys should all be open – remember to toss out any that don’t open up. Spoon out the mussels into a large bowl.  Melt the butter into the broth that’s still on the stove. Once the butter melts, pour all the broth over the mussels.

Oh! Surely it’s nice to have this with french fries, but we just bought some rustic olive bread and sliced it up. This was done specifically with the intention of sopping up the broth from the bottom of the pot once we got down far enough through the shells.