There are lots of cooks out there who actually know what they are doing. I pretty much taught myself to cook, out of necessity. I haven’t a clue most of the time, but I do love to eat. 
Several years ago, a local timber company locked down the woods behind my house due to fire danger. One of their fallers set fire to the ridge the very next day. It burned for a week.
The following spring, we went up there and harvested morels from the scorched slope. Because there were bigger burns, better known and more easily accessed, we didn’t have to compete with commercial pickers and enjoyed a very successful hunt. Afterwards, we dropped down to a hidden camp spot and made a fire. We enjoyed a meal of asparagus and morels, paired with a fresh baguette and French rosé. Delicious. Here’s how I prepared it:
Ingredients
serves three gluttons.
- a large handful of washed asparagus
- bacon – you know how much you want
- shallots (onions may be substituted – red, white, brown or pearl, it doesn’t matter)
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- a metric buttload of morels
- fresh grated pecorino cheese
- butter or oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- wine – I prefer rosé
Rinse asparagus and remove woody ends. Peel and slice your shallots and garlic. Clean and rinse your morels. If they are buggy or particularly dirty, immerse them in salty water for a quick soak, then drain before cooking.
Fry bacon until cooked but not crispy and set aside. Add morels, shallots, and garlic to skillet with butter and bacon grease. Cook morels until mushrooms begin to soften.
Add asparagus and a splash of wine. After about five minutes return bacon to skillet to reheat. Salt and pepper to taste, plate, top with grated pecorino and serve.
