Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

[amccomb]

At the Farmer's Market this weekend, there was a bin of Chicken of the Woods mushrooms. I've seen them before as a mail-order item, so I decided to go ahead and get some. I had to sign a waiver (a little scarey) because they were wild mushrooms and I was told to cook them for at LEAST 20 minutes.

For some reason I can't decide what to do with them. Can I get some suggestions?

[Jason Perlow]

Chop em up, saute in lots of butter with salt and pepper. Eat them.

[McDuff]

The guy across the street forages these all fall. He comes home with pounds and pounds. He soaks them overnight to loosen any dirt, cores them out like a cauliflower, and then sort of strips them. Pulls them into strips, which they will do easily. He simmers them for 10 minutes or so and then freezes them. I had some recently which I put into some leftover sauce from a short ribs and gratineed them. He sautes them with garlic and keeps adding stock and letting it reduce. They come out nice and crisp. At the end he throws in some bread crumbs and lets them brown up. Once you boil them you can add them to anything you would add other mushrooms to.

[amccomb]

Do you think they would go well with turnips? I also got some baby turnips at the market, and thought I might saute the mushrooms, add some chicken stock and let them simmer for awhile, then add them to the halved turnips, top with some cream, and bake in the oven for awhile before adding some breadcrumbs.

[McDuff]

No, glazed baby turnips go best with roast duck..I don't know. If you want to try it, try it. There is no right or wrong. Julia says, You're alone in the kitchen and no one can see you.

[torakris]

these are called maitake in Japanese and my favorite way of cooking them is to saute them with bacon.....

also check out the mushroom thread in the Japan forum!

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=18830

EDIT

20 minutes is a VERY long cooking time.....

Edited October 31, 2004 by torakris (log)

[nr706]

Are they Chicken of the Woods (also known as Sulfur Shelf?) If so (bright orange on top) they do have the consistency of Chicken once they're sauteed, and maybe some of the flavor (but then, doesn't everything basically taste like chicken?) I've used 'em like chicken in recipes.

Check here:

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Mushrooms...enMushroom.html

But sometimes the name gets confused with Hen of the Woods (also called Maitake, more creamy/gray colored) which I use in more traditional mushroom roles, like with pasta or risottos.

Here's Wildman's take on these:

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Mushrooms...OfTheWoods.html

[amccomb]

Are they Chicken of the Woods (also known as Sulfur Shelf?) If so (bright orange on top) they do have the consistency of Chicken once they're sauteed, and maybe some of the flavor (but then, doesn't everything basically taste like chicken?) I've used 'em like chicken in recipes.

←

i'm pretty sure they are the Chicken of the Woods - bright orange and shelf-like, just like the picture on the site you recommended.

Maybe I'll make some herb gnocchi and make mock "chicken" and "noodles".

[nr706]

Are they Chicken of the Woods (also known as Sulfur Shelf?) If so (bright orange on top) they do have the consistency of Chicken once they're sauteed, and maybe some of the flavor (but then, doesn't everything basically taste like chicken?) I've used 'em like chicken in recipes.

←

i'm pretty sure they are the Chicken of the Woods - bright orange and shelf-like, just like the picture on the site you recommended.

Maybe I'll make some herb gnocchi and make mock "chicken" and "noodles".

←

Let me know how they come out ... can you post pix? I love all sorts of wild mushrooms - unfortunately, it's getting a little late in the season for them here ...