It’s the time of year for morel mushroom hunters to search for Minnesota’s official state mushroom.
But this year isn’t the best for them, as its been dry and the mushrooms need moisture, said Larry Peterson of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
If the area gets a nice, warm rain, the mushrooms might pop up, Peterson said.
Recipes offer various ways the mushroom hunter can enjoy the results of their search.

Morels with flour
Ingredients:
morels
butter or margarine (2-4 tablespoons)
frying pan
flour (about 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Melt butter or margarine in fraying pan. Coat morels in flour. Saute mushrooms in the butter or margarine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Morel mushroom sauce
Preparation:
In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium to high heat until foaming. Add 3 cups small morels, or larger morels cut into slices no more than 1-inch long. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until slightly crispy. Add 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion tops, 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon Lawrey’s salt. Cook for a few minutes. Turn heat to higher and add 1/2 cup dry white wine and reduce to almost a glaze. Turn heat to medium and add 2 cups whipping cream and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Reduce slightly over slow boil until thickened — about 10-12 minutes. Serve. To make it a grand dish, add 20 to 24 boiled shrimp to the sauce before serving.

Morels in wine sauce
Preparation: Gently saute scallions and or garlic with rehydrated mores (place morels in warm water or cooking liquid for one hour until plump) in a combination of oil and better, until morels are lightly browned and have absorbed the butter and oil. Remove the morels and deglaze plant with white wine. Reduce by half, then return morels with freshly chopped parsley. Simmer a few more minutes. Serve on toast with freshly ground pepper.

Morels with corn flakes
Ingredients: 2-3 eggs, butter, salt, Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs.
Preparation: Whisk eggs in bowl until well mixed. Fill another bowl with the corn flake crumbs. Add a pinch of salt if desired. Dip morels into egg mixture. Lightly coat both sides of morel with corn flake crumbs. Fry in lots of butter and flip when light brown. Add more butter as necessary until done.

Morel mushroom tart
Ingredients:
crust recipe
4 ounces sliced bacon
1 ounce dried morels
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 ounces diced Swiss cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 cups heavy cream
3 whole eggs and 2 yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation: If using dried morels, rehydrate in warm water for a half-hour or so until plump. Drain and set aside on paper towel. Roll pastry to a 1/8-inch thickness and line a 10- to 11-inch tart pan. ****** the bottom with a fork. Line pastry with parchment paper, fill with pie weights. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake an additional 4 minutes. Take out of oven and reduce temperature to 300 degrees. Cut bacon into 1/4-inch slices and saute until crisp. Drain and set aside. Slice morels and saute in butter. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add bacon and Swiss cheese. Scald cream and cool. Mix the eggs and yolks together and add the cream. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the baked tart shell. Spread the mushroom mixture on top of them. Spoon in the egg and cream mixture. Bake until tart is barely firm to the touch. Turn off over and leave until the tart is quite well set. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Morels in fettucine
Ingredients:
Morel mushrooms
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
4/3 cup Parmesan cheese
fettucine noodles
Preparation: Melt butter and remove from heat. Add the sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Cook the fettucine noodles and saute the morels in butter for 8 minutes. Add morels and the sauce to drained fettucine.

Salmon fillets with morels
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 shallots, minced
• 18 ounces morels, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
• 3/4 cup bottled clam juice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons whipped cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 6 8-ounce salmon fillets
• fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preparation:
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add Morels; sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add clam juice and wine; boil until liquids have almost evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Add cream to mushrooms; boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Mix in chopped tarragon. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Arrange salmon skin side down on broiler pan. Brush with lemon juice, then butter. Broil until just cooked through, without turning, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates. Spoon Morels over.

Morel mushroom soup
Ingredients:
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 15 ounces morels, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
• 6 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/3 cup finely diced peeled carrot
• 1/3 cup finely diced peeled turnip
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
Preparation:
Bring 1/2 cup stock to simmer in saucepan. Add saffron; set aside to steep. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic; stir 1 minute. Add 1/3 of wild mushrooms and all of white mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms release liquid, about 8 minutes. Add curry powder; sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Add saffron mixture and 6 cups stock.
Simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree cooked mushrooms and 1 cup mushroom broth in processor until almost smooth. Return mushroom puree to saucepan with broth. Simmer soup 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sauté remaining Morels in butter over medium-high heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 shallow bowls. Top with sautéed Morels and serve.

Morel fondue
Cut French or Italian bread into 1- by 1- by  3/4-inch pieces.
Sauté: in butter; morels halved (lengthwise) or coarsely chopped; salt (or garlic salt) to taste, either: 1/2 pound fresh morels or 1 - 3 ounces dried morels (re-hydrate before use)
Grate: 1 pound cheese (preferably un pasteurized)
Place in pan: 2 cups dry white wine
Heat wine until just below boil, stirring constantly and vigorously with a wooden spoon:
Add cheese a little bit at a time.
Add morels a small portion at a time.
May be seasoned to taste with pepper and nutmeg.
When all the cheese and morels have been added transfer to a fondue pan over low heat.
Use Fondue fork to dip cubes of bread into Fondue.