Lamb Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce and Morel Mushrooms
Morel season has been spectacular this year! I have picked well over 600 this year with the numbers climbing. My daughter and I picked 190 of them outside Boise on the way to McCall in about 2 hours. We had a lot of fun together and enjoyed our talks while hunting them and breathing mountain air.
I had to fly them home in my carry on and I made pretty good friends with a TSA German Shepard named Sarge. He really liked my bag, and his handler really wanted my mushrooms but to no avail.
Last year my wife Stephanie got me an electronic pressure cooker and I was a little intimidated by it. All I do is stare at it when I walk thru my garage. So I decided I was going to bust this bad boy out and get it mastered. So I took some lamb out of the freezer, got the machine out the box and started writing on a pad of paper.
I put some lamb steaks, seasoned them with salt and pepper and tossed in 1 onion sliced, 4 garlic cloves, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 cup of red wine, 1 cup of beef broth. I set the timer for 25 minutes and pressed the button and went outside and hid in my truck in case the thing blew up.
25 minutes later the alarm goes off and it begins to shut down, and lets you know when you can open the top.
The little monster worked perfectly. The meat was fall off the bone and had great taste. I was impressed to say the least. I removed the meat chunks and got out my food processor.
Add the lamb meat, 3 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, three green onions, sea salt and pepper to the food processor. As I mix it I add a little of the liquid from the pressure cooker, just a little like three tablespoons so it mixes well. You want the texture to still remain chunky and not liquid.
I did not make my pasta sheets, I bought them from Whole Foods fresh. Like I said, my wife does not let me make pasta or anything that uses flour in our kitchen because she has to clean it up.
Take a brush and use water around the mixture then layer the second pasta sheet over the top, and press.
Cut and remove your pasta, I had to crimp my sides with a fork to assure they held together.
Time to make the sauce, and gorgonzola goes great with lamb. So I make my favorite sauce. I add one tablespoon of butter, 1 cup of heavy cream milk, and cook on medium high for about five minutes, reduce by 2/3rds. Add about 1/4 cup of your favorite gorgonzola, reduce to warm.
Get your hot water ready, but do not boil. Bring to boil then back it off and add your pasta, you want to gently cook it for 5 minutes. Check pasta to make sure your fork can cut through it. Drain. While the pasta cooks, I take butter, then put three cloves of garlic chopped, on top. I want to carmelize the garlic so I put the morels on top of them. Then let cook for 3 minutes over medium high heat, then stir them around evenly. Once the garlic is brown remove.
Drain the pasta, plate the pasta. Then pour the sauce over the pasta, followed with the morels and garlic. Top with green onions.
I have to say I take great pride in the fact that I eat what I hunt, and when you can deliver a meal like this to the plate. It really makes you want to keep cooking. Megan and I had a great time on a successful morel hunt. That is three states now we clobbered them in.
Hope you give it a try, you will not be disappointed.
The Hunting Chef.
huntingchef.com 
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