Morel? What is this and what should I do with it?

[Dot]

These were growing in a Beacon Hill yard that was freshly mulched with wood chips in the fall. What are they and what should I do with them? 

[vitog]

These are morels, probably one of the Black Morels that grow in mulch.  They should be good to eat if the area hasn't been sprayed with pesticides or is near an older house that used lead-base paints.

[Dave W]

Morels may be cooked in a variety of dishes. You can just saute in butter or olive oil with your choice of onion/shallot/garlic/sweet-pepper and serve a a side with beefsteak, lamb chops, pork, or turkey. They make a nice addition to stuffing. Morels are good with salmon, trout, or tuna steak. They mix well with eggs. Excellent in cream sauce, eg. fettucine alfredo. Excellent in quiche. Excellent addition to a risotto. But, whatever you do with morels, two things to remember. 1. make sure they are well-cooked. Undercooked morels can cause illness. 2. make sure to salt morels while cooking. This is necessary to bring out the flavor.

Morels may be dehydrated and used for future cooking. Properly dehydrated morels --dried to the point of being hard/brittle-- may be stored in an air-tight jar for years.

Like vitog said, take care to mot harvest morels from a contaminated environment.