PHOTO BY ZACH DESART

This week's mushrooms are called Maitake.  The name maitake means "dancing mushroom" in Japanese. It is also known as the "hen of the woods", "sheep's head", "king of mushrooms" (due to its large size), and "cloud mushroom". The Latin name is Grifola frondosa, referring to the mythical griffin.

You may not suspect it at first glance but maitake mushrooms are edible. Many people consider them quite delicious with a strong flavor.

Since the stem is very tough only slice off the caps for cooking. They should be young and firm, not dry, old, or mushy like the picture to the left. Make sure you wipe them down, wash them, and dry them before eating. The base of a tree is not the most hygienic place!

Once you have clean maitake mushroom caps there's no limit to how you can cook them! They can be stir fried, baked, sautéed, stuffed, or made into a tea.

One of the most popular recipes is to simply fry them in oil or butter until crisp. Maitake can replace button mushrooms in any recipe for a more flavorful result.

Many people also freeze them before cooking. The mushrooms freeze well so don't hesitate to do this if you want to save some for later. The frozen caps will get you through the winter until morel hunting season!

Seared Maitake Mushrooms

Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 8-ounce maitake mushrooms, cleaned, halved through the stem
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Combine garlic and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in 2 large skillets over medium-high heat. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Cook each, cut side down, in a skillet, pressing to flatten once they begin to soften, until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low. Drizzle garlic mixture around mushrooms and cook until garlic is golden, about 1 minute; turn mushrooms to coat.