Truffling for Morels!

A rainy June makes for some good Morel hunting, and if you listen closely you can hear people talking about their adventures. However, the best hunters keep their patches a secret! These prized mushrooms are typically found in areas of the forest that have been scorched by a wildfire and in Montana that leaves a lot of land to explore. The first step is to pick a time and a place. Time: a sunny Saturday after a rain drenched week. Place: I will not give specifics but Montana back country. Now the challenge of finding the patch begins. The team loaded up the VW bus, armed with their buckets, bags, bikes and their senses set on the precious Morel! In the end the Posh gang was able to follow the rainbow leading to a pot of gold, or shall we say field fungi. Morels tend to nestle in mossy areas, therefore all eyes must be fixed on the ground. A glisten of hope is; find one morel you are likely to find a whole family.The journey required a 6 mile bike uphill, and involved four hours of picking. When the brave returned home they were covered from head to toe in black ash, but they also had a window screen filled with their treasure! Now comes the fun part, eating. These wonderful mushrooms can be added to a dish much like any mushroom. The recipe used by Ana and Jason was a Morel Stroganoff, using dehydrated Morels.

Morel Stroganoff

1 cup dehydrated Morels
2 cups Hot Water
1 1/2 Lbs. Cubed round steak, cut into strips.
1 Can Tomato Puree
Splash of Cognac
Splash of Cream


1) To rehydrate the Morels combine one cup with two cups of hot water, and once the mushrooms are hydrated remove from the water. The water can be saved for a stock to use in the sauce. Pass the water through a coffee filter to remove the little mushroom bits.

2) Sear the strips of steak on a frying pan.

3) Add the tomato puree, the mushrooms, cognac, and cream.

4) Allow the sauce to cook and serve over rice, pasta or even risotto.

Happy Hunting!

Cloudy with the gift of Meatballs!

There are certain trends that circulate the culinary office at Posh. "Guess what I made last night?" "Ask Ana what we had for dinner last night." Those quotes are guaranteed to make any Poshie jealous. However, there are the special days when the remarks are followed by, "and we brought leftovers!" This week the buzz has been about Meatballs, and on Wednesday instead of eating the usual Black Beans and rice, we were hanging out and noshing on the leftovers of the fantastico Italiano creation. Ana used an all around basic recipe, just fresh ingredients that brought out each of the delicate flavors. A week has past and the taste still lingers in my mind. I am proud to present you with the delectable recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup bread crumbs, divided
2 hot peppers chopped

Directions

Mix all ingredients really well. Form meatballs and let them cook in the tomato sauce.

When you pop the meatballs into the sauce, then start the pasta. This will give enough time for the the meatballs to cook through. The recipe makes enough for about 12-15 small meatballs.
Buon Appetitio!

The Pies that Provide!

It was a nice Missoula evening in May and people were taking their seats in Biga Pizza. Their bellies were empty while they patiently awaited the first annual fundraiser for the Missoula Food Bank. The evening entailed five acclaimed local chefs armed with fresh ingredients, pizza dough and their creative power. The attendees were all handed a number, which they used to bid on numerous pizzas. The proceeds of the event were given to the Missoula Food Bank.

The event was filled with many unique flavor combinations and a final donation of around $2,000. It was sure a success. Some of the highlighted combinations were: Foie Gras with Ricotta cheese, Asparagus and Pea Shoots (The Pearl), pizza Pescatori with a Saffron Aioli (James Bar), Duck Breast with Squash and Thai Basil (Iza), and Brocolini with Asparagus, Pea Shoots and Kalamata Olives (Scotty's Table).

The highest bid pizza in the savory category was a creation of Jason Willenbrock, of Posh Chocolat! It was made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and topped with truffle oil. The pizza was sold for $155. In the sweet category, there was only one contestant, Ana! Her Elvis pizza defiantly stole the show. The dough was brushed with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and drizzled with Posh’s Thai peanut caramel. Then topped with bacon, mozzarella cheese and bananas. As it sat in the pizza oven you could see the sizzling caramel, mozzarella and the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar. As the highest bid pizza of the night it sold for $160. When the Elvis bidding had ended Jason was so excited, he ran to the shop and threw in a 10 piece Posh Truffle Collection.

As the night went on and the money kept flowing in for these impressive pizzas, Bob Marshall the owner of Biga, made a little speech. He expressed his gratitude to the chefs participation and to the attendants who great fully gave their time and money for this worthy cause. He explained the essence of the evening was creating food for food. He then did the unexpected, Bob busted out the champagne, giving pizzas to all, and he offered desserts to anyone with the appetite to spare. It became a open house of exquisite pizzas. The night was an overall success. A big thanks to Bob Marshall and Biga's staff for hosting a wonderful event. The attendants and chefs had a great time, everyone left satisfied and excited for next year.