There’s something so primal about a big hen of the woods and breaking off giant clusters to cook whole like a piece of meat, there a great entry level mushroom too, easy to identify, big in size, typically worm-free, delicious. I don’t know any cooking technique more raw than cooking over burning wood, so…
Hen of the Woods / Maitake
Hen of the Woods or Maitake mushrooms are one of the easiest mushrooms to identify I know, as well as one of the largest. Some can grow to be over 50 lbs! If you're new to them, check out my introductory guide to hen of the woods. There's tons of ways to cook them, but my original Hen of the Woods Mushroom Steaks are a crowd favorite, as are Pickled Hens.
Sicilian Chicken of the Woods
Think eating chicken of the woods is strictly an American thing? The continents separated a long time ago, but we still share many of the same mushrooms, at least as far as culinary purposes are concerned (specific species are another story). Doing research with Jesse for The Wild Harvest show as we planned Episode 3…
Roasted Chicken or Hen of the Woods Stock
One of the best parts about hunting mushrooms (and other things) is that, not only do you get to bear witness to the incredible volume of nature’s bounty, you get to take it home, too, and when the mushroom patch is bumpin, or when the blueberries are fruiting heavy, you’ll find yourself, at the end…
Hen of the Woods Roast with Leeks and Black Walnuts
Since hen of the woods can have such a large size, I love swapping them out for meat in recipes. With the maitake coming up in earnest in late September/October right now, I’ve had more than my share of them hanging out in the fridge queue waiting to get cooked, so big ol’chunk of hen…
Simple Roasted Hen of the Woods
Mushrooms are one of the most perfect ingredients for minimalist, less is more cooking, and these simple roasted hen of the woods / maitake are a great example. Sure, you can make them into pasta sauce, jerky, and all kinds of things, but probably the simplest, and one of the most delicious things to make,…
Grilled Hen of the Woods Duxelles
We’ve all been there, you came upon your hen tree, or maybe you just stumbled on a new one, and it’s packed with pounds and pounds of clean, fresh hens. Finding them was the easy part. Now comes the work of bringing them home, along with hours of cleaning, cooking and processing. With mushrooms so…
Hen of the Woods Fritters
If you hunt hen of the woods, you’ve probably had the problem of not knowing what to do with large-sized hens that pop up during the season. Hens are the best young, but it’s easier said than done to get them at that perfect, tender, button stage. Thankfully, and in some ways unfortunately, they stay…
Grilled Hen of the Woods Steaks with Garden Herb Sauce
It’s that time of year again in the Midwest: time to treat those hen of the woods mushrooms like a piece of meat. Hen steaks, hen roasts, hen pot roasts, I’ve done them all, and I like them all. There’s little more satisfying in fall than firing up the grill to warm up, and slicing…
Hen of the Woods Mushroom Cooked Under a Brick
It was a busy Saturday night, and a little more exciting than usual since I had some friends coming in for their anniversary: the husband and wife duo who wrote and photographed the book Tasting Minnesota. I wanted to make a couple fun things for them since I knew they enjoy things like mushrooms and…
Hen Of The Woods-Leek Gratin
Here’s an awesome, easy way to enjoy those hen of the woods. Story goes that I was at my girlfriends place getting ready to make some Sunday dinner, we pulled some pork chops out of the freezer, but were a little light on the vegetable front. Thankfully there’s a giant garden around-the stuff dreams are…
Roasted Maitake Steaks With Anchovy Sauce
The day before I went on FOX 9 to demo a couple mushroom dishes last week, I was feeling pretty defeated about having no fresh props to bring into the show. I mean, what’s a good mushroom hunter without any fresh specimens? The woods don’t obey commands though; all you have are educated guesses. I…
Brussels Sprouts With Pickled Hen Of The Woods
Brussels sprouts have come a long way. When I was growing up they were sort of a mystery. I remember eating them only once as a child and I didn’t like them one bit. I can still recall people talking about eating them like they were some form of torture. Slimy, soft, and stinky are…
Pickled Hen Of The Woods Mushrooms/Maitake
Like any mushroom, hens are best when picked very young. They’re certainly edible in their old age, even after they have released their spores, but these are going to be more prone to bug damage. From my experience, hen of the woods will not have maggots until very old, but they will be preyed upon…