Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease roasting pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Gently wipe morels with damp cloth to remove grit and slice off most of stem. Halve mushrooms lengthwise and arrange cut sides down in roasting pan.

Arrange shallots around or over mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are fragrant and softened. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

Wine Suggestions: Earthy mushrooms pair well with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pairing the mushrooms with potatoes and some extra butter - or cream if making them into a soup - tips the scales toward Chardonnay. Try Michel Delorme Pouilly-Fuisse Le Vieille Vigne de la Marechaude.

Comments: Most cookbooks suggest cooking morels - relatives of the prized truffle and gourmets delight - in cream to bring out their heavenly flavor, but oven-roasting does even more for them. Delicious as a topping for rice or mashed potatoes, you can also make it into a divine soup by pureeing it in a blender with hot water and some half-and-half.

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