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- Makes 9 cups
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The earthy umami flavor of morel mushrooms perfectly complements the sweet apple and zesty vinaigrette in this delicious autumnal salad. Fresh morels are a culinary treasure but can be hard to come by; dried morels work just as well in a pinch and rehydrate nicely. Farro or barley adds a hearty component to the mixture and chopped apricots create bursts of tart flavor.
Tip: About ¼ cup (¼ oz.) dried morel mushrooms will yield ½ cup rehydrated mushrooms. To rehydrate, place mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for about 15 minutes and then drain mushrooms in a fine-mesh sieve. The soaking liquid makes a flavorful addition to soups and sauces!
By Shelli McConnell,
Ingredients
- 2 2-inch dried morel mushrooms
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons coarse-ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 cups torn fresh kale, stems removed
- 3 cups cooked farro or barley
- 2 red apples, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup small fresh morel mushrooms or rehydrated dried morel mushrooms, halved lengthwise
- ½ cup chopped dried apricots
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- For dressing, place dried mushrooms in a small food processor or spice grinder. Process until finely ground to a powder. In a small bowl whisk together mushroom powder and the next five ingredients (through thyme). Season with salt and pepper.
- Place kale in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Massage kale with your fingers until glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the remaining dressing; toss to combine. Garnish with additional fresh thyme.
Comments (6)
(5 from 2 votes)You should never eat uncooked morel mushrooms. Cooking takes a certain poison out of the mushrooms.
Question - there is no oil in the dressing - I figure the maple syrup must tone down the vinegar but still isn’t it too zesty?
This is now one of my favorite kale and mushroom recipes. Very very tasty!
First and foremost, never eat raw morels. they are very toxic. please assist your recipe to cook them first then grind them in the blender.
This is not correct. You can eat morals raw but you shouldn’t eat a large amount of them raw at one time- the amount in this recipe is perfectly safe. Additionally drying then rehydrating takes care of the issue also. Second- why would your grind them?! Morals are delicious eating- whole/chopped and sautéed or added into recipes. They’re my favorite mushroom- delicious!
This looks delicious!! Thank you. I'm pinning this.