Asheville Mushroom Club

8 oz. mini penne or med. curly egg noodles
1 lb. firm mixed mushrooms (such as chicken, cremini, etc.), cut into small cubes (use only the tender edges of the chicken mushroom)
1 leek, cut in half lengthwise, washed and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lg. ripe tomatoes, seeds removed, cut into small cubes
5 T. olive oil, or combination of butter and olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 c. freshly chopped parsley
finely chopped chives, oregano, or tarragon, as available
1/4 lb. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain well and keep warm. Heat olive oil in a large pan; add garlic and leek. Turn heat to medium and saute for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir to mix well and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; simmer for another 5 minutes. Add half the parsley, chives and other herbs to this mix. Add pasta to mushrooms and mix well. Put in a serving bowl. Top with freshly grated cheese and remaining herbs. Serves 4.

These recipes is featured in "Cooking with
the Asheville Mushroom Club" cook book on
page 124.

Club members have collected hundreds of recipes featuring local
and cultivated mushrooms to create a unique specialty cookbook.

Purchase your copy at club meetings for $10 or by ordering from Ken McGill, PO Box 182, Campobello, SC 29322 for $14.95.

Each month we'll be highlighting one mushroom that can be found in WNC during that current month. This is in an attempt to help members or guests learn our local mushrooms. It will also be noted whether the mushroom is edible, ill advised, or poisonous.

Laetiporus sulphureus AKA “chicken mushroom”

I’m thinking most mushroom hunters know this mushroom well. If you don’t take a minute to learn it now. When it is young and fresh it has the flavor and texture of white meat chicken and a single specimen can provide a large quantity of food. I found one last Sunday, filled my ½ bushel peach basket to overflowing and didn’t pick half of it.

When searching for edibles don’t just look at the ground. Check out the trees, especially any which appear to be in decline. Chicken mushrooms grow on wood and while I have found them fruiting from roots many more finds have been up on the trunk. Indeed some have been well out of reach leaving me like the fox and the grapes trying to convince my self that it was probably too old and tough anyway.

The bright orange fronds of the chicken can sometimes be spotted from quite a distance, so scan through the trees for a glimpse of color. When you find those overlapping layers carefully cut one off and have a look underneath. Chickens are in the polypore family and their pore surface is a bright sulphur yellow. If you find one that is a bit more red rather than orange and the pore surface is white rather than yellow you’ve found a cousin, L. cincinnatus which IMHO is an even better edible.

I think the chicken takes a bit more cooking than other edibles, but if you persevere you’ll be rewarded with tender chicken-like morsels. Use them as you would chicken. I’ve had “chicken” salad, cream of “chicken” soup, and “chicken” with rice. Etc. etc..

Steve

Steve Peek, field mycologist and long standing member of the Asheville Mushroom Club