"Look, I have this HUGE Chicken of the Woods. We ate as much as we could for dinner last night, and we're going off island tomorrow, do you want it?""I'll be at your house in 15 minutes."
So I had a big round of it last night. Sauteed it with some shallots and garlic and thyme from the garden. I started using butter ... but it is a thirsty little mushroom, so after half a stick of butter I switched to chicken stock. YUM !!!
Had I known I would be so lucky, I would not have bought a bag of shitakes yesterday at a roadside stand. So this morning I had fried egg over shitakes with a side of Chicken of the Woods.
Note: In my original, pre-edited post, I had used the term Hen of the Woods ( Latin name: Grifola frondosa) to describe this mushroom. It is, most likely a Laetiporus cincinnatus often referred to as a chicken of the woods. It is a reminder that mushroom hunting is not to be done lightly or in an uninformed manner. Thanks to comments from Andrea for that reminder.
4 comments:
Oh wow...I've never had Hen of the Woods before. For some reason, I thought they would look more grayish brown. How would you describe the taste?
Well actually the TASTE is like whatever you cook them in, so mine tasted like shallots, butter and chicken stock with a bit of fresh thyme. The texture is a bit like chicken breast, not like a mushroom. I was sorry I added wine at the end ... I think it made it a little bitter.
I hate to break it to you but your photo is of a sulfur shelf mushroom - most likely var Laetiporus cincinnatus. Lucky for you this mushroom is also edible (although some people can get mild GI upset from eating it). As Tom said, Hen of the Woods - Grifola frondosa - is more brownish grey in color and a different shape. Please, please, ID any mushroom you are about to eat, even if a friend gave it to you!! :)
Excellent advice, Andrea ... and Thank you. I will make note in the original post.
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