The easy to identify edible wild Maitake mushrooms are not difficult to find. If you spot one, try it in them in this stir-fry sheepshead mushroom recipe.
I was just introduced to eating wild mushrooms from the local woods. My husband has a friend who likes to go out and look for easy to identify native mushrooms.
One of the easiest mushrooms to identify in the wild are Maitake mushrooms. They are native to Northeastern Japan and North America.
Here in Connecticut, many refer to this edible mushroom as Hen of the Woods. But I’ve also heard these wild mushrooms referred to as Ramshead or Sheepshead mushrooms. The scientific name for this mushroom is Grifola frondosa.
If you want to use it in a Maitake mushroom recipe, it can be cooked fresh or frozen to use later. We like to boil it first to get rid of any harmful bacteria that may be on it.
If frozen, you can cook it right out of the freezer so it is a good idea to cut it into smaller pieces first. The flavor of the Maitake mushroom is highly regarded among wild mushrooms.
Maitake mushrooms are an excellent wild mushroom for beginners to gather from the woods. That’s because there are no dangerous mushrooms that look like them. These mushrooms can usually be found in late summer and early fall growing at the base of large oak trees.
They’ve also been found on elm, maple, beech, chestnut and sycamore trees. I’ve probably walked past these mushrooms hundreds of times. But I’ve never thought of picking these ugly looking tree growths and cooking them up.
However, after listening to others rave about their taste, I just had to give it a try. The Maitake mushroom is also known to have medicinal value. And, it was found to contain a protein-bound beta-glucan compound.
These wild mushrooms have been shown to contain anti-diabetic properties as well as anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties. They have also been found to be helpful in relieving the effects of chemotherapy.
Maitake mushrooms are rich in minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. In addition, they contain various vitamins such as B2, D2 and niacin as well as fibers and amino acids.
I bet you’re interested in trying these amazing mushrooms now that you know more about them. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous to try one. But, the one given to us was so delicious fried up, I’m ready to look for more.
This is a simple Maitake mushroom recipe that our friend Joe has been using for a long time. He’s the guy who introduced us to these wild treats. He’s been cooking up the wild mushrooms he collects from the woods this way for years.
Joe told us he likes to serve the stir fried mushrooms with pasta or Italian bread. But I find the dish to be a nice side for steak.
I had a lot of leftovers. So, I may try cutting them up and putting them in a low carb cream of mushroom soup.
Stir Fried Sheepshead Maitake Mushrooms Recipe
Stir Fried Sheepshead Maitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup onions chopped
- 1 pound Maitake mushroom cut into pieces
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup cooking wine
- shredded cheese optional
Instructions
- Cook garlic and onions in hot butter and oil until golden. Add mushroom, beef broth and cooking wine.
- Cook on medium high, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. They will turn nice and brown.
- Serve with grated cheese, if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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Rich Spinosi says
sheepshead mushroom recipe 2lbs mushroom heat cast iron skillet with a little olive oil and fresh minced garlic to your liking. when garlic starts to brown add mushrooms. cook for 10 to 12 minutes on a higer heat to get mushrooms golden brown(crackling in skillet) remove from heat and skillet let mushrooms cool a little. turn oven to bake at 350 -360 degrees. put mushrooms in safe baking dish cover them with your favorite red sauce for 10 minutes. remove from oven cover them with mozzarella cheese or your favorite cheese for 3-5 minutes. until cheese melts. a glass of red wine with this dish is simply fantastic Bon appetite.
Lisa says
Thanks for those tips Rich! Sounds like you know what you’re doing there.
Jojo says
Idiots. You don’t need to boil your hens all your doing is taking all the flavor from it so why bother
kevin says
anyone ever use bloodred oranges
Lisa says
Not me.
Minh says
How much cooking wine did you put in?
Lisa says
I used about 1/4 cup. I’ll add to recipe.
blackbookkitchendiaries says
this dish looks absolutely delicious. i could eat the entire thing all by myself. thank you for sharing.
fooddreamer says
Oooo, yummy! Never occurred to me to pick any mushrooms either, I’d have to kknow exactly what I was looking for so I didn’t poison myself!