8ozhen of the woodsmeticulously cleaned or very young and pristine
3tablespoonscooking oil
6ouncesfresh sunchokes
6ozmixed fall wild greenssuch as waterleaf, mallow, nettles and or watercress
Kosher saltto taste
Fresh lemon wedges
¼cuppricky ash oilsee recipe
Prickly Ash Oil
½cuppricky ash chili oilsee recipe
2teaspoonsdried Szechuan peppercorns
¼cupchopped persicaria odoratarau ram/Vietnamese coriander or cilantro or parsley
2large large cloves garlic
1x 2 inch piece ginger
Instructions
Prep
If you use larger sunchokes, cut them into 2 inch pieces, otherwise leave them whole, trimming any long ends. Pour boiling water over the sunchokes, cool and reserve.
For the prickly ash oil, toast the Szechuan peppercorns, then pound in a mortar and pestle. Grate the garlic and ginger very fine into the oil, then mix with the remaining ingredients and reserve.
Chokes, hens, greens
Prepare a grill with wood. Cut the hen of the woods into 2 pieces, oil and season them with salt and pepper and reserve.
Ball the greens up and slice into ¼-1/2 inch wide ribbons. Cook the sunchokes gently in a pan with oil until just tender.
Meanwhile, grill the hen until cook lightly browned, and hot throughout. When both the hen and the sunchokes are just don’t, quickly wilt the greens in a dash of oil, stirring well and adding a splash of water to help the greens cook quickly. Very lightly season the greens
Plating
Mound the greens in the middle of two dinner plates, arrange a chunk of grilled hen on the greens pretty side up, scatter the sunchokes around, drizzle with the chili oil and serve with fresh lemon on the side.