Michigan Food

The Secret to Morel Mushroom Hunting in Pure Michigan

May 7, 2013

Morel mushroom season is well underway in Pure Michigan! Like most mushroom hunters, guest blogger Joshua Nowicki prefers to keep the locations of his favorite spots to himself. We were able to get Joshua to share some tips and tricks of the hunt with us today.

Read about his adventures below and let us know if you’ve been morel mushroom hunting in Michigan this year. And don’t miss the Mesick Mushroom Festival, coming up this weekend in the “morel mushroom capitol.”

Elusive and delicious, morel mushrooms are a wonderful spring time delicacy in Pure Michigan. When you add hiking and the recent opening of trout fishing, you have more than a weekend of outdoor fun awaiting you.

For me, it has become an annual tradition to spend at least a couple of weekends searching for morels somewhere in the thousands of acres of National Forest and State Forest land that surrounds the Cadillac area. Like most people, I will not tell you the location of my favorite spots, but I can give you a few tips on where you might look.

There are a variety of different theories on locating the best place to find morels. The easiest way for someone just getting started is to keep your eyes open as you are driving around and look for people slowing walking through the woods carrying mesh bags.* Though you are not likely to find a large quantity of morels in easily visible or popularly frequented areas, it is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the type of terrain that the mushrooms are likely to grow in and possibly talk with someone who has experience with mushroom identification.

Morels are very unpredictable as to where they will grow year to year. I have found them in fields, forests, the edges of paved road and even in landscaping wood mulch in busy metropolitan areas. To make it more complicated, in places where I have found many one year, I will not find any the next. That said, my favorite areas to look include old orchards and areas that have been logged or been burned sometime during the last several years.

Once you have a location, the hunt really begins. I like to walk slowly scanning about a five to ten foot section of ground with my eyes. My father’s method, however, is to walk at a good pace with his eyes focused out about twenty or thirty feet. We make a good team with these two methods; he tends to find the largest morels and I find the smaller ones. When he spots a mushroom, I will often search the surrounding area and locate several small ones that he had overlooked. As for the time of day that I like to go, I have found that the lighting in early morning and evening makes for the best contrast for actually seeing the mushrooms. A friend of mine even carries a small wood carved morel and continually glances at it in an attempt to train his eyes to identify the morel mushroom shape.

When you have found a morel, be sure to pinch or cut the stem at the ground level. Please do not pull it from the ground; leave the root system intact.

Some weekends, I divide my time between morel mushroom hunting and trout fishing in the area’s rivers. Fresh caught trout with morels and ramps/wild leaks cooked over a campfire makes for a truly delightful day.

After a tiring day of hiking the woods or when the weather is not cooperating, I head to downtown Cadillac which offers a variety of unique shops and locally own restaurants.

Northern Lower Michigan also has several Mushroom festivals including the Mesick Mushroom Festival (May 10-12, 2013) which includes a flea market, craft show, “Biggest Morel Contest” and variety of other activities and events. A little further north, Boyne City hosts the National Morel Mushroom Festival (May 16 – 19, 2013) which includes a carnival, music, seminars on morels, food and much more.

A few additional words of advice:

To avoid picking and consuming false morels, I recommend that you purchase a good mushroom identification book or better yet, go with someone who has experience with finding morel mushrooms.
Be sure to carry a compass and/or GPS.
Dress appropriately for walking in the woods, keep your skin covered and wear boots or closed toe shoes.
Beware of ticks.
Do your best to avoid trespassing.
Have fun, morel mushroom hunting is a wonderful family activity, kids are great at spotting morels.
When you find a good area, please let me know where it is; I will be sure to keep your secret.

*Mesh bags are encouraged in order for the spores of the mushrooms to be dispersed as you continue your hunt, and therefore hopefully increase or maintain the morel population.

Have you been hunting for morel mushrooms this year? If you’re willing to share your tips or favorite locations, post them below!

Joshua Nowicki is a blogger for the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council, graphic designer and photographer. Joshua’s interest in photography began while working in museums, photographing artifacts, exhibits, and events. After moving to St. Joseph, Michigan in 2011, he started taking nature photographs to encourage his friends and relatives to visit and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the area. Joshua’s inspirations range from Lake Michigan and wildlife to sculpture and architecture. You can see more of Joshua’s photos at http://www.facebook.com/startvisiting.

{ 8 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

Ann Arbor Restaurant Week – Michigan’s Largest Restaurant Week – Starts Sunday

January 18, 2013

in Events,Guest Blogger,Michigan Food

With a record 55 restaurants participating, Ann Arbor’s Restaurant Week is the largest in the state of Michigan, taking place January 20 – 25. This is the prime time to try some new flavors and make the trip to Ann Arbor for some of the great food the area is known for. To prepare, we decided to talk to some of the rock stars of restaurant week in Ann Arbor. See what they had to say below and let us know which restaurant(s) you’ll be visiting next week!

Chef Duc Tang: Pacific Rim by Kana

Cuisine/Cooking style: I would describe our cuisine as ‘contemporary Pan-Asian’. The menu reflects my interpretation of various Asian cuisines that I grew up eating.

Fun Fact: I have a masters degree in theology.

Career highlight: I am proud of our great staff and of the fact that they consider Pacific Rim the best restaurant to work for.

Menu Recommendation: For the winter weather, I recommend our hearty Asian-braised lamb shanks with coconut-sweet potato puree.

Where would you eat for Restaurant Week if you weren’t cooking? Mani Osteria & Bar.

Chef Brandon Johns: The Grange Kitchen & Bar

Cuisine/Cooking style: Straight-forward, seasonal cooking; we are known for our serious and thorough commitment to local sourcing, use of quality products, our whole animal, nose-to-tail cooking approach, and our talented pastry Chef, Melissa Richards.

Fun Fact: The kitchen stays open until 1am on weekends.

Career Highlight: We have won the Edible WOW Local Hero award twice for our dedication and contributions to the local food movement.

Menu Recommendation: The chicken and spicy chicken sausage hash.

Where would you eat for Restaurant Week if you weren’t cooking? Mani Osteria & Bar or Mercy’s Restaurant at the Bell Tower.

Chef Brendan McCall: Isalita (and Mani Osteria & Bar)

Cuisine/Cooking style: I am a flavor first chef. I want flavors to be punchy and upfront while keeping the food approachable. Then we work in a twist or little surprise that adds a layer of discovery to each dish.

Fun Fact: Many of the dishes at Isalita were inspired by a trip that Adam Baru (co-owner) and I took to Mexico City this past summer.

Career Highlight: I’m most proud of the staff culture that we’ve created at Mani Osteria and have continued in Isalita. Creating great food is only one ingredient to a successful restaurant.

Menu Recommendation: We are launching petite enchiladas during restaurant week that will become a permanent part of the Isalita menu from then on. One is a coconut braised chicken in red chili sauce and the other is a shrimp and crab enchilada in roasted salsa verde.

Where would you eat for Restaurant Week if you weren’t cooking? Pacific Rim has been a long time favorite of mine since I moved to Ann Arbor 13 years ago. However, Raven’s Club has recently made major menu changes that, in my opinion, place it at the forefront of the growing restaurant culture in Ann Arbor.

Chef Eve Aronoff: Frita Batidos

Cuisine/Cooking style: My style is full flavored with a lot of textures and contrasts – while still maintaining balance and harmony of the flavors. I am based in French philosophy and technique, but am influenced from cuisines around the world – N. African, W. African, Cuban, and Vietnamese. I’m committed to Slow Food Movement – working with local farmers and purveyors, following the seasons, making food from scratch and encouraging the warmth and conviviality of cooking and dining.

Fun Fact: There are actually a lot of ‘light’ dishes on the menu!

Career Highlight: Being invited to go to the James Beard Foundation to create a multi-course menu for the foundation members, as well as being selected to represent the Huron Valley Slow Food Movement to go to Terra Madre.

Menu Recommendation: I’d recommend trying the ‘Eve’ menu we are creating. This will include some of the favorite dishes from Eve (her previous Ann Arbor restaurant). ‘Inspired Nachos’, Pots de Creme - as well as a dish which was extremely beloved but extremely labor intensive so we made it for special occasions – Seafood and Prosciutto Lasagna.

Where would you eat for Restaurant Week if you weren’t cooking? Mani Osteria & Bar or Pacific Rim.

Chef John Fischer: Gratzi

Cuisine/Cooking style: Our focus is regional Italian cuisine with emphasis on the north.

Fun Fact: We’ve featured different regions of Italy as our culinary focus each month for the past 10 years.

Career Highlights: At Gratzi, we’ve won numerous awards over the years, including ‘Best Italian’ in AnnArbor.com’s reader poll for three out of the four years, as well as Open Table awards for two years running. We also have five wine spectator awards of excellence.

Menu Recommendation: For the first time during restaurant week we are offering regional preparations instead of regular menu items. I hope folks take advantage and try something new.

Where would you eat for Restaurant Week if you weren’t cooking? I’m always way too busy to go out during restaurant week, but Downtown Ann Arbor has so many choices for dining it’s hard not to find something to like.

Set restaurant week prices are $15 for lunch and $28 for dinner (if you’re on a budget, over half of these restaurants offer 2 for 1 deals with at these price points). Peruse the menus at www.annarborrestaurantweek.com, and make your reservations early!

{ 1 comment - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

All Square: A History of Detroit-Style Pizza

August 7, 2012

in Guest Blogger,Michigan Food,Restaurants,Reviews

We’ve found that if there’s one food Michiganders know and love, it’s pizza! And while the best pizzas in Michigan can be found all across the state, some may argue that “Detroit-style” pies top the charts. Today, guest blogger and pizza enthusiast Tony Sinicropi takes us on a historical tour through the pizza of Detroit.

Call it square. Call it deep dish. Call it whatever you want – just know that it is uniquely Detroit and definitely Pure Michigan.

Buddy’s “Detroiter” Pizza

Detroit-style pizza, a descendent of Sicilian-style pizza, traces its roots to one man – Gus Guerra. In 1946, Gus owned what was then a neighborhood bar, Buddy’s Rendezvous, when he decided he needed something new for the menu. He enlisted the help of his wife, Anna, who borrowed a dough recipe from her Sicilian mother. The Sicilian dough, topped with cheese and tomato sauce, would become the model for pizza in Detroit.

The key ingredient in a proper Detroit-style pizza isn’t something you eat – it’s the pan. The key characteristics of the pizza – the soft and airy square crust, the crunchy exterior, the caramelized cheese that edges the pizza – are all due to the deep pans in which the pizzas are baked. The pans are a thick steel pan that are more similar to a cast iron skillet than a cake pan. Legend has it that Gus got his initial batch of pans from a friend who worked in a factory that used the pans for spare parts. Detroiters have been fighting for corner slices ever since.

Armed with empty stomachs and a passion for good pizza, we embarked on a tour to trace the genealogy of Detroit-style pizza.

The Spirit of Detroit prefers his pizza square

Our first stop was Gus’ original restaurant – Buddy’s Rendezvous at 6-Mile and Conant. We went with the classic Detroiter – cheese, sauce, and pepperoni on top so that it crisps up and chars slightly. The sauce is what sets Buddy’s pizzas apart – the bright tomato sauce and hit of herbs act as the perfect complement to the salty pepperoni. With the bocce ball courts outside and a bar area lined with pictures of Tigers legends, Buddy’s is a landmark worthy of its reputation.

Next on our itinerary was Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant in Eastpointe, founded by Gus & Anna after they sold Buddy’s Rendezvous in 1953. Cloverleaf claims to carry on the original recipe that Gus developed at Buddy’s. The extra crispy edges on this pie received high praise from the group.

Our next stop on the lineage tour was Loui’s in Hazel Park – founded by a long-time chef at Buddy’s, Louis Tourtois, which explains the similarity between the pizzas at each location. Similar to Buddy’s, Loui’s is frozen in time with its checkered tablecloths and hundreds of empty Chianti bottles that hang from the ceiling.

Finally, we made it to the new kid on the block, Detroit Style Pizza Company in St. Clair Shores, run by Gus Guerra mentee Shawn Randazzo. After owning and operating a Cloverleaf location with his mother for 16 years, Shawn decided to branch out and put his own spin on the square pie and opened Detroit Style Pizza Company earlier this year. Shawn was recently crowned as the World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the 2012 International Pizza Challenge. After trying his “Margherita in the D” pizza, I can see why. The sauce made of crushed tomatoes and topped with fresh basil, roasted garlic, and red onion provided a nice change of pace from the more traditional places.

The great thing about visiting these places is that you can’t go wrong with any of them. Next time you are in the Detroit area, be sure to stop in and grab a slice of pizza history.

A born and raised Michigander, Tony runs the blog Great Lakes, Better Food, which chronicles his food adventures from all over the state. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and their dog, Lucy, who are both eager to accompany him on his adventures.

{ 6 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

A Recap of Mario Batali’s Visit to Pure Michigan

August 2, 2012

in Michigan Food,Recipes

We recently had the pleasure of joining Mario Batali in Traverse City, where the chef introduced several Michigan-inspired recipes.

In the first video below, Mario shares these recipes and entertaining tips. In the next video, he fills us in on his favorite places to go while visiting Northern Michigan. Take a look and let us know if you’ve been to any of Mario’s favorite places in the area.

For more from Mario on Pure Michigan, visit michigan.org.

{ 4 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

The Original Murdick’s Fudge, Mackinac Island

July 24, 2012

in GeoCoded,Guest Blogger,Michigan Food,Posts by Region

On a sweet assignment, Kristin Bienert, editor of Michigan Travel Ideas, samples a handful of flavors while learning the art of making fudge at Murdick’s Fudge, the original Mackinac Island fudge shop, which is celebrating its 125^th anniversary this summer.

The family’s fudge-making business actually began 10 years prior to the official anniversary. Henry and Sara Murdick and their son, Rome, opened a confectionary in Mount Clemens before moving the shop north to Marine City and Petoskey. But making confections isn’t the only reason for relocating to Mackinac Island in 1887. Henry and Rome, who were sail makers, came to the island during the construction of the Grand Hotel to build canvas awnings for the summer resort.

The family opened Murdick’s Candy Kitchen, which survived and the Great Depression and sugar rationing during World Wars I and II. In 1955, Bob Benser Sr. opened an ice cream shop next to Murdick’s Candy Kitchen. Over the years, Bob learned the art of making fudge from the Murdicks and purchased the business in 1969. Today, Bob Jr. and store partner Ron Steensma, who has been making fudge for more than 30 years, oversee day-to-day operations.

In less time than it takes to hear Ron’s story, a three-person team makes a batch of fudge. One person weighs the ingredients—raw chocolate from Germany, sugar from Bay City, and cream and butter—into a copper kettle set over a propane gas burner. The maker constantly stirs with an oak paddle until the sugary mixture reaches a roaring boil, about 16 to 17 minutes. Cook and head fudge maker, Carnel, pours the hot liquid onto one of three original marble tables, which weigh 750 pounds. Light fudges—vanilla, maple, pecan and peanut butter—are made before chocolate fudges because the tables need to be warm for the chocolate to cream out before it can be folded into shape. As the fudge cools, Carnel works his way around the 5-foot-long marble slab, folding the fudge with a flip of his wrist. This is his eighth summer on the island, and he makes it look easy. When the fudge resembles a giant loaf, the cutter steps in and begins slicing. Every batch yields 60 to 63 half-pound slices.

Throughout the day, the team makes between 15–20 batches of fudge, which means purchases are never more than 24 hours old. Choose from 19 flavors, including the newcomer triple espresso. If you can’t decide, select one of the store’s top sellers: double chocolate, chocolate, chocolate turtle and German chocolate. In addition to fudge, the store makes and sells a variety of peanut brittle and popcorn flavors.

Some more interesting facts: In one week of fudge making, Murdick’s uses 200 pounds of butter, 200 gallons of cream and 5,000 pounds of sugar, all delivered by horse-drawn carriage six days a week.

Each box of fudge comes with a plastic knife, which makes sampling when the mood hits (breakfast!) convenient. After trying many flavors, Kristin’s fave is chocolate peanut butter.

{ 6 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

← Previous Entries