A question about a recipe: Short Rib Ragu. No Dried Porcini Mushrooms at my grocery store... Are dried Morels OK?

Porcini have a much meatier flavor than morels, which tend to be more delicate (and used in lighter dishes than a ragu). I once tried the opposite - substituting porcini for morels in a dish at the same quantity and the porcini overpowered the dish completely. I suspect that it is the meatiness of the porcini that is what the ragu recipe is after, so I think you would lose some of the richness of the dish with the morels, as well as some of the flavor. Shalini's suggestion of mixed, dried mushrooms would probably be a better choice than just using morels.

I've never used dried Morels, but would think while they would be okay to use, they'll tint the dish with a bit of a different flavour. When I think of Morels I think of springtime and asparagus and eggs, but porcini have a dark flavour that's hard to replicate. Maybe a package of mixed dried mushrooms if you can't find porcini?