Hen of the Woods

Hen of the Woods mushroom.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

The other day a friend texted that he had a Hen of the Woods for me.  I had never had one before, so I jumped at the chance.  It is not every day that someone offers you fungus.  So, it arrived basically filling up a plastic grocery bag.  After a few minutes of rearranging the fridge, we made room and started looking forward to the next days meal.  Although I have quite a bit of experience cleaning and cooking mushrooms, I wasn't exactly sure how to approach this one.  It weighed in at exactly 2 1/2 pounds and was bigger around than a dinner plate, and about as tall.  The mushroom is built a lot like a cauliflower, in that it has a large central core and branches off into smaller clusters, but that is where the similarity ends.  Each small mushroom cluster reminds me a little bit of a chanterelle in both looks and texture.  So, how to clean it?

I first removed the bottom root area with a knife and started breaking it down, almost exactly like a cauliflower, working with a knife in a circle around the base until all the main clusters were removed.  I then split the larger ones down into something a bit more manageable.  In retrospect, I wish I would have sliced it up more because this mushroom stays fairly firm unlike most mushrooms that shrink down and soften up.  I just didn't realize that until after.  Next, I carefully washed the pieces and placed them in a strainer.  The only issue I had was dealing with a centipede that had stowed away.  I hate those things.  They have all those legs and dart around like they are going to jump in your ear, just like on "The Wrath of Khan".  Gross.

Hen of the Woods Pasta.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

To prepare it, I simply sautéed it in some butter with a little bit of white wine, minced onion, and garlic, then served it over tagliatelle with some fresh grated Parmesan.  I thought about making a sauce, but thought that it may cover up some of the flavor, and since it was my first hen, wanted to keep things simple.  It was fabulous. and I don't often use the word fabulous!  So, if you know any mushroom hunters, it may be a good time to help them clean their gutters, or change transmission fluid on their car, or just do what I do and feed them.  You may end up with a prize now and again.