By April 2028. Morel season came and I took Kai and River both out for the first morning. River was seven now, old enough to do the actual search rather than just accompanying. I showed him what to look for the way I'd shown Kai years before: the habitat, the indicators, the eye level, the patience required. He took it very seriously and found zero morels in the first forty-five minutes, which he handled with more equanimity than I expected.
Then he found three in a cluster under an old elm I'd walked past without seeing, and the sound he made was almost exactly the sound Kai had made the first time Kai found morels. I noted this. Some responses to the same discovery are apparently just true responses, independent of who is discovering it.
Kai found twelve. I found nine. River was proud of his three. That's the correct outcome for a first morel hunt.
Made the butter and salt preparation that evening in the barn, all three of us standing around the cast iron while the morels sizzled. River watched them go from the basket to the pan with the attention of someone learning a new sequence of cause and effect. When they were ready he ate them slowly and then ate two more and said: okay. Kai said: yeah. I said: that's the right answer. We ate the rest of them standing there and when they were gone River said: are there more? I said: same time next year. He said: that is a long time. I said: yes it is and you'll appreciate them more for it.
The butter-and-salt morels were the right meal for that night — simple, earned, finished too fast. But the next evening, when River was still asking questions about mushrooms and why they taste the way they do, I wanted something that stretched the moment a little longer, something that let us sit down at the table and stay. This toasted gnocchi with mushrooms is the recipe I keep coming back to when I want that same cast-iron warmth with a little more to it — the browning, the basil, the Parmesan pulling it all together the way a good season should.
Toasted Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Basil and Parmesan
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 10 oz cremini or mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Toast the gnocchi. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp on the bottom. Toss and cook another 2–3 minutes until golden on most sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms. In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until browned. Stir and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the garlic to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes and pour in the wine or broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by half, about 1–2 minutes.
- Combine. Return the toasted gnocchi to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Cook together for 1–2 minutes until everything is heated through and glossy.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Squeeze lemon juice over the pan, then scatter torn basil and Parmesan over the top. Toss once more and serve immediately with extra Parmesan alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 580mg