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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Hen of the Woods Mushroom Barbacoa (Vegetarian)

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Hen of the woods mushroom barbacoa recipeA vegetarian barbacoa recipe made with wild mushrooms? *dodges tomatoes* Absolutely. It might seem odd at first glance, but mushrooms, especially in Mexico, have been eaten as a substitute for meat in some areas for a long time, so simmering them in spicy chili broth and eating with tortillas or stuffed into a burrito isn’t really that much of a stretch. 

The process is basically the same as when I make barbacoa from beef. I make a simple broth infused with dried, toasted chilis (feel free to use your favorite kind) then I simmer the mushrooms in it all day.

Mushrooms are obviously very different from meat in many ways, so there’s a couple things to take into account here to make this the best that it can be.

That being said, the recipe here is only a guideline to get you started, so feel free to play around with what you have and make it your own. 

Mushrooms to use 

You want a chewy, firm wild mushroom for this. Polypores are going to be much better than a mushroom that gets soft, so stick to hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, pheasant back, or similar mushrooms. Gomphus and lobster mushrooms will also work just fine. 

Straining the broth from hen of the woods barbacoa

Straining the cooking broth. You can use the leftover cooking liquid to make birria tacos.

Cooking time 

After mushrooms are cooked and have released their water, they’re done cooking, and, unlike beef, won’t get more tender from extending the cooking time.

Even so, to get the best flavor here, you really need to cook the mushrooms in the liquid all day to allow the flavor of the broth to penetrate the mushrooms.

It takes a while, and, unlike a big chunk of beef, the mushrooms need to be sliced thinly before adding to the liquid, where beef is pulled/shredded after cooking when it’s become tender. 

Hen of the woods mushroom barbacoa tacos

Use the finished barbacoa in tacos, burritos, or as a meat substitute with refried beans, rice, and your favorite fixings. I love some spicy avocado salsa (pictured). 

Seasoning the mushrooms after cooking

Another thing people take for granted with dishes made with shredded meat is proper seasoning, and this is no different. You can cook a giant piece of meat or a bunch of mushrooms in some really good stock and seasonings, but, most of the flavor is going to stay in the broth.

If you remove the mushrooms from the broth and just eat them, they might not taste too interesting. Key number two here is to season the mushrooms with some of the cooking liquid, salt, and, most importantly, extra fat before serving. 

Hen of the woods or wild mushroom barbacoa recipe

Hen of the woods or wild mushroom barbacoa recipe
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Hen of the Woods Mushroom Barbacoa (Vegetarian)

Vegetarian barbacoa, made with hen of the woods mushrooms.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: Chicken of the woods, Hen of the woods mushroom
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb hen or chicken of the woods mushrooms, thinly sliced You can use fresh or frozen hen of the woods here
  • 30 grams dried chilis or roughly 2 heaping tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo (optional) you can add more if you like it extra spicy
  • 2 teaspoons toasted, ground cumin seed
  • 3 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 6 cups vegetable, mushroom or meat stock

Finishing and serving

  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Reserved cooking liquid, to taste (about 1/2 cup)
  • Melted butter or cooking oil, to taste (about 2 Tablespoons)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Instructions

  • Toast the dried chilis in a 325 F oven for 15 minutes or until crisp, then allow to cool. Break the tops/stems from the chilis, shake out as many seeds as possible, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder and reserve.
  • Put all the barbacoa ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. If the level of liquid gets low in the cooker, top it off with a little more to the mushrooms are submerged.
  • Remove the mushrooms to a bowl with a slotted spoon, then season to taste with salt, a good splash of the cooking liquid, and melted butter or cooking oil to taste. Heat the mushrooms up in a pan to disperse the fat and cook for a few minutes (you don't need to brown them, just cook them for a few minutes to dry out) then add them to tacos like you would shredded meat, or another preparation you like. Double check the seasoning for salt, heat/chili, before serving. garnish with a good handful of chopped fresh cilantro to give it some color.

More 

Hen of the Woods or Maitake Mushroom

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Previous Post: « Wild Mushroom Taco Meat (Vegetarian)
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FORAGER | CHEF®
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Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
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Alan Bergo
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with @jesseroes TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with 
@jesseroesler and crew @campwandawega
📸 @misterberndt 

#staffmeal #brisket #meatsweats #naptime
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