Spring foraging feast with Chef Alan Bergo: Taste Buds

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Midwest forests are filled with spring blooms and fresh greens this time of year, and for Chef Alan Bergo, it's time to feast. 

Alan has a wealth of knowledge and skill in all facets of foraging, and that made him the perfect companion on Stephanie Hansen's quest to harvest nutrients from the great outdoors in the latest episode of Taste Buds.

Join Alan and Stephanie as they hunt for basswood leaves, ramps, fiddleheads and more before cooking them all up to create vibrant and creative dishes, including fiddlehead salad and ramp dip.
Morel mushrooms are also top-of-mind during spring, so Alan cooked up Morilles à la Crème (morels with cream) with toast and ramp butter. 

Home cooks looking for something a little more accessible can follow along with Stephanie's pappardelle mushroom pasta recipe: 

Pappardelle, sage and mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pkg (9 oz) fresh pappardelle pasta
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup R & R Cultivated wild mushroom mix (we used shiitake and black pearl)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced sage with a 6-8 medium leaves left whole for visual interest
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp cooking sherry
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Instructions are available in the video above and here.

If you'd like to learn more about foraging, you can follow Alan on Instagram and pick up a copy of his book, "The Forager Chef's Book of Flora," which you can find on his website.

For more episodes of Taste Buds, click here or download the FOX LOCAL app on your smart TV to stream for free.