This week in Omnivorous I wrote about Milan Pelouch, Libertyville author of How to Find Morels, and his wife, Lila, who provided some 14 recipes for the book. If you're lucky enough to sniff out any of the fungi yourself--both the Illinois Mycological Association and Slow Food Chicago are leading forays this weekend--she recommends her fresh morel paté, which only requires about a cup of them.

Lila Pelouch's fresh morel paté

1/2 c. butter

1 c. morels, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. onion, finely minced

2 T. dry sherry or 1 T. sherry and 1 T. chicken broth

2 to 3 ozs. cream cheese

1/3 c. fresh parsley, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms, onions, salt, and pepper in butter until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry. In a food processor, process cheese and parsley. Add the mushroom mixture and pulse on and off a few times until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency (but leave some mushrooms in small chunks). Serve at room temperature with crackers or on toast points.