Mushrooms

Fried Morel Mushrooms

Fried morels. Where have you been all my life? Seriously. I have eaten morels for decades, but only recently have I experenced the glory of the fried morel. I am not looking back.

Foraging

Ramp Pesto

Wild onions, ramps especially, make a great pesto. This is my version, which is pretty classic -- but you can play with pesto a lot, changing the nuts, cheese and herbs at will.

Wild Game

Cajun Turtle Sauce Piquante

This is a Cajun classic, often done with alligator, but equally good with snapping turtle, which is what I used here. Sauce piquante is a bit of a mash-up between gumbo and an etouffee.

Preservation Recipes

Pickled Cauliflower, Italian Style

When I was growing up, I thought “antipasti” meant pickled cauliflower, carrots and onions because that's what was served in the old-style Italian joints I ate in. Well, I managed to recreate the recipe for their pickled cauliflower here.

Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi

Fresh Pea Gnocchi

This is about as springtime as it gets. Fresh garden peas, served with light-as-air gnocchi made with pea puree, tied together with a little butter and cheese. Just a lovely light supper.

Charcuterie

Finocchiona, Fennel Salami

Fennel salami, finocchiona, is an Italian staple. There are lots of variations on this salami, but they all require a decent addition of fennel seeds. My version has wild fennel seeds, fennel pollen and ouzo.

Recipe

How to Make Mustard

I've been making mustard at home for years, but many people don't realize that making mustard is super easy -- and can be as varied as your imagination. Do it yourself and you might never buy mustard again.

Recipe

Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower cordial -- really a syrup -- is a classic use for these incredibly aromatic flowers of spring. Use this to make homemade soda, add it to gin, or make it into a sorbet whenever you want to remember the first warm breezes of the year.

Charcuterie

Italian Cacciatore Salami

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian, and this is a recipe for a spicy, hunter's style salami you can carry around with you in the field. I make them with narrower hog casings so they're easier to make than traditional wide salami. Use pork, venison or boar.

Wild Game

Duck Sausages, Hunter’s Style

This is a very traditional recipe for duck sausages, made with caraway, juniper and sage. It works very well with "off" ducks like spoonies, snow geese, diver or sea ducks, or Canada geese.

Pheasant, Grouse, Quail

Simple Roast Quail

Simply roast quail is the bedrock skill of any quail hunter, or anyone who wants to cook store-bought quail. Roasting these little birds isn't rocket science, but there are a few tricks to getting it right. Here's how I do it.

Fish

Seared Fish and Asparagus

Simple seared fish -- in this case sturgeon -- served with spring awesomeness, in this case asparagus, spinach and peas. Use this recipe as a model for whatever fish and whatever spring bounty you can find. This dish tastes as clean as a cool spring breeze.