Recipe of the Day: Peppercorn pasta with fresh Morrels

Yesterday after going to the Farm at Lincoln Park Zoo with my son, we stopped by Green City Market, and did some damage. My best score were fresh local morrel's. From chatting with the vendor they have about a month season, so when you see then you buy them. The trick is to do as little as possible with them and let their flavor come through.

I made a simple peppercorn pasta buy adding a generous amount of fresh peppers to homemade pasta before adding the eggs and oil.



I tried to use the pasta roller, but the peppercorns kept getting stuck and ripping the dough. So I had to resort to rolling it out by hand.



Then using a pastry roller and a ruler, cut the pasta into long strips. (I have a dishwasher safe ruler that I use just for the kitchen, it is great for measuring and cutting straight lines in things like brownies or cakes.)


To prepare the morrels, cut in half and lightly wipe with a damp cloth to remove any debris. NEVER wash mushrooms, they are like little sponges and will soak up the water. Just brush with a damp kitchen towel.

Melt a little butter and saute a clove of sliced garlic over medium until soft. Add the morrels and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the morrels are soft and cooked through.



Cook the pasta in salted water, reserving about a half cup of the liquid.
Toss the pasta with the morrels, adding a little liquid to keep from drying out.



Top with fresh Parm.