Content
The morel is the first spring mushroom; it begins to grow as soon as the winter snow melts away. These mushrooms are edible, have a unique composition and balanced taste. Pickled morel mushrooms last a long time and will be an excellent appetizer for a festive or regular table. They are not difficult to do if you follow the recommendations.
Is it possible to pickle morel mushrooms?
You can pickle morel mushrooms; if you follow the recipe, there will be no risk of poisoning. You also need to distinguish the variety from the lines - morels are tasty and healthy, but the latter are unsafe for health. Damp stitches are deadly poisonous. During heat treatment, hazardous substances are partially destroyed, but the risks of poisoning cannot be completely eliminated. The main visual differences between mushrooms are an uneven cap and a thick stem and stitching. Morels are more rounded or ovoid, sometimes their caps are cone-shaped.
Pickling is the most popular way of processing and storing mushrooms. Vinegar and citric acid destroy almost all known microbes, including the causative agent of botulism.There are recipes with vegetable oil and sugar - these products are also natural preservatives and do not contain harmful substances.
The marinated appetizer turns out tasty, piquant, and tender. It will come in handy in winter - for a holiday table or a regular lunch. It is advisable to store jars in a refrigerator, pantry, cellar or other dark place.
Preparing morels for pickling
The variety is prepared for pickling in the same way as all other mushrooms. After collection, it is cleaned of soil and debris with a dry cloth and washed under running water. Wormy specimens are thrown away. It is not advisable to pickle old ones - they turn out spongy and tasteless. If you have doubts about the origin or type of mushroom, it is better not to risk it and throw it away. To evaluate the appearance of the morel, it is convenient to use specialized literature or thematic Internet resources.
The caps from the legs can be separated or left as is. There will be more legs, the mushrooms also have different sizes - you can put them all together in jars or separately large ones, separately small mushrooms. Please note that morels shrink when cooked.
According to the traditional recipe, the films are removed. Doing this manually with a knife is difficult and time-consuming; the process will speed up if you lower the caps into boiling water for about a minute. The legs, if they will also be pickled, need to be cleaned of debris and sand, and the black parts scraped off with a knife.
How to pickle morel mushrooms
You can pickle morels using any of the following methods. The mushrooms turn out tasty and piquant. For lovers of unusual dishes, we can recommend adding garlic, cloves, and herbs to the marinade.
A simple recipe for pickled morels
Pickling the variety is easy if you use the following recipe. The taste is excellent, the finished dish is stored for a long time.
Products:
- 2 kg of mushrooms;
- sugar and salt to taste;
- bay leaf – 4-5 pieces;
- peppercorns – 6-7 pieces;
- dill, cloves to taste;
- 30 ml vinegar.
Preparation procedure:
- Cover the mushrooms with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, constantly skimming off the foam.
- Place the caps and stems in a colander, add clean water, add salt, and after boiling, cook for 20 minutes.
- Change the water again, add spices and salt.
- Pour in vinegar and stir.
It’s ready – all you have to do is pour it into jars, cool, and roll up.
Chinese pickled morels
Chinese mushrooms are a savory appetizer that will appeal to those who like it spicy. Products:
- morels 2 kg;
- 120 ml each of oil and vinegar;
- garlic (teeth) to taste;
- 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
- 1 tbsp. l. sesame seeds;
- a pinch of ground coriander;
- 8 black peppercorns;
- 5 bay leaves;
- dill, parsley;
- salt.
Preparation procedure:
Boil the mushrooms in lightly salted water and simmer for a quarter of an hour after they boil, drain, and let cool.
- Make a marinade from water, vinegar, spices - for this, all ingredients are added to water and boiled for 15 minutes over low heat.
- Pour marinade over prepared morels.
That's it - the seaming is poured into jars and put in the refrigerator.
Pickled morels with sugar
For morels, the marinade is made, among other things, simply with sugar and salt. Products:
- 2 kg of mushrooms;
- sugar and salt;
- garlic 6 heads;
- bay leaf 5 sheets;
- dill, cloves, pepper to taste;
- water.
Preparation procedure:
- Mushrooms are washed thoroughly, large ones are cut into pieces.
- Place the prepared raw materials in a container and fill with water.
- Add sugar, salt, seasonings.
- Pour in vinegar and simmer for half an hour over low heat. The foam is removed as it forms.
- Taste the marinade and add salt if necessary.
- The cooled workpiece is laid out in dry, clean jars and filled with marinade.
You can add a little oil - a natural, safe preservative.
Fragrant pickled morels with spices
To make morels with spices tasty, you need to take them apart, sort them, and soak them in cold water for a couple of hours. Water is drained from dirty mushrooms (for example, if there is a lot of forest debris in it). Other products:
- water – 4 liters per 2 kg of mushrooms;
- several cloves of garlic;
- salt and sugar;
- peppercorns – 10 peas;
- cloves to taste;
- bay leaf – 4-5 pieces;
- vinegar essence – 120 ml;
- vegetable oil (spoon per 0.5-1 l jar).
Preparation procedure:
- You need to boil it twice - first before boiling and 10 minutes after. Then remove the foam, drain the water, wash the mushrooms with water and set to cook again.
- Second cooking – 30 minutes. You also need to rinse the raw materials after it.
- The marinade is prepared from water, vinegar, oil, and boiled for 15 minutes.
- Hot boiled mushrooms are placed in a jar and filled with marinade.
Before rolling up the lids of the jars, pour a spoonful of sunflower oil into each jar. That's all - you can roll it up.
Terms and conditions of storage
Morels fresh for 2-3 days, frozen - almost without restrictions, but after freezing the taste deteriorates. To extend the shelf life, the product must be filled with water or marinated.Pickled morels can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year without sterilization; it is advisable to consume them within this period. If the jars are sterilized, the shelf life increases.
Vinegar in the marinade prevents mold from forming. You can replace it with sugar or butter - also natural preservatives that are harmless to the intestines.
Conclusion
Pickled morel mushrooms are a delicious appetizer and addition to any feast. You can make the dish at home yourself - the main thing is to understand the differences between morels and strings, remove all suspicious mushrooms, fully prepare the raw materials, and make a high-quality marinade. Sterilization extends the service life of seals, but you don’t have to do it.
