Mary Tyler Morels

Tis the season for morel mushrooms. Now, I had never moreled before (to the extent I thought we might need a pig to sniff them out, but that is truffles and a totally different head, totally). Anyway, cue high school reunion girl's weekend up north (Michigan, for those not in the know). Luckily, we had an expert on our team (she had harvested some fine Wisconsin specimens the weekend before) so we knew to look in the forest, near dead or dying elm or oak trees, either in the sun or in the shade. There is a reason these things sell for $35.00 a pound! If a needle in a haystack, except with swarming mosquitoes comes to mind, then it was like you were there. Oh, and here's a tip: watch for the poison ivy (and not the cool Uma Thurman kind). Yeah, my first bout with the three leaves of death. Again, luck was on our side as our intrepid hostess had a very good remedy skin scrub (albeit, expensive at $35 dollars as well. Coincidence? I think not). At the end of the day we had a very tasty appetizer and everything came out in or as a wash.

Who can turn the world on with her smile?. Mary Tyler Moore, that's who. From 1970-77, arguably the sweet spot for television,  The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the epitome of situation comedy. Plucky (or should I say spunky?) Mary Richards, a 30 something single woman, was determined to make it in the cut throat world of Minneapolis television. Armed with the best cast ever to grace a sound stage, Mary, Murray, Ted, Lou, Rhoda, Phyllis and Sue Ann graced our TV sets every Saturday night for seven glorious years. Through two apartments, many many boyfriends and even a stolen kiss with Mr Grant, Mary flung her beret much to our delight. And, in going out on top of the ratings, set the tone for every successful show that followed to quit before they jumped the shark. Even the memorable final Kleenex huddle sob scene showed that Mary could take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.With each glance and every little move, it's MTM and you know it.



The Recipe:

Really expensive, hard to find morels; as many as you can stand to find
Butter


Special Equipment: Buji  poison ivy scrub.; Damp wooded area. Keen eye

Rinse and slice each morel lengthwise, removing any lingering slugs (yes, I said slugs). Put in a bowl and cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to cook. Heat saute pan. Melt butter and add morels, cook over medium heat for about 6- 8 minutes. Allow them to melt in your mouth. Serves 1, unless your are overly generous.