Shiitake Mushroom Caps (Flower Top)

Also known as the black chanterelle, horn of plenty, black trumpet, and trumpet de la mort or “trumpet of the dead” based on the imagery that buried corpses are playing these fungal horns from beneath the ground. The outside can be rather waxy and black, but the inner part of the horn is usually velvety and charcoal grey. It’s a rather morbid looking specimen with an aroma of air-cured beef. The flavor is highly prized and tastes of an overripe washed rind cheese or a black truffle. The texture is close to that of a soft piece of dry mozzarella when reconstituted. These little lolitas are best cooked up in risottos, ragus, or minced with a bit of pork and shallot and stuffed into ravioli. In addition, black trumpet mushrooms are also excellent served with fresh gnocchi and dressed in gremolata.

Mushroom hunters search high and low for true Morels, and a lucky few have secret spots where they know a bounty will grow every year. Try asking any hunter where their spot is and you’ll be greeted with silence. No mushroom hunter will ever give up dried morel mushrooms. It’s understandable. Dried morel mushrooms have a delicate flavor that only lingers around for a short while. It’s gone the moment you swallow. Chewing is another matter. The flavor is mighty when chewing. It’s a mushroom that’s truly worth the hunt. However, some home gardeners get lucky. It’s not unheard of to buy woodchips for a garden and then after a rain find little armies of Morels springing up. These dried morel mushrooms are great for our sautéed morel mushroom recipe. You can add a bit of salt and cracked pepper for a classic preparation or toss with pasta and serve in a cream sauce with generous shavings of Parmesan.

Dating back thousands of years the dried shiitake has been used in medicine and cooking throughout Eastern Asia. The mushroom was often ground up or used in teas and prescribed for respiratory infections, to improve blood circulation, and to prevent aging. The fact that it tasted so otherworldly that it was thought to be a gift from the gods made it a medicine that many were happy to take.

The shiitake is a mushroom that is always preferred dried over fresh. Dried and reconstituted, the mushroom has a far more intense flavor and the broth can be used for deglazing pans and adding to soup stocks. The woody stems are often discarded before drying as they’re usually inedible. The flavor is incredibly savory and umami-centric with hints of beef.

These shredded Wood Ear mushrooms look like destroyed confidential files from a government office rather than food. Perhaps under all that black you might find some undisclosed secret kept hidden from the public. But no, these are mushrooms. Hydrated, these delicate strings of finely sliced Wood Ear mushroom become brown and crunchy with a forest-y flavor. Many chefs have begun to treat shredded Wood Ear like a pasta as instead of a mushroom. Add them to cold soba dishes, or tangle together with fettuccini and slather in an alfredo sauce for an East-meets-West dish. We like to add them into a chicken soup for their antiviral properties. Curious in texture, intriguing in flavor, and with a contemporary appearance this mushroom is perfect for the hip home cook.