An up-scale supermarket, Bristol Farms, is an easy walk from my home. I was there yesterday to buy, among other things, some baby bellas. Then I saw three other kinds of mushrooms that I hadn't noticed before: bunashimeji, maitake, and enoki. I asked the produce manager about them, and she had the highest praise for the maitake. I bought three 100g (3.5oz) packages of them.

Back at home, I did a little research. The maitake is native to both the US (hen of the woods) and Japan (maitake), but the Japanese name seems to have gained the favor of US foodies.

Yesterday evening I sautéed 1-1/2 packages. They were delicious! These mushrooms are pricey ($4.99 per package), but definitely worth it to me. The best mushrooms that I've eaten, with the possible exception of morels. It's been so long since I've had fresh morels that I can't accurately judge.

BTW – Besides salt and pepper, I like to sprinkle cumin on my mushrooms – that went especially well with the maitakes.

It's always a thrill to discover new 'under my nose' taste sensations. Mushrooms for me have a surprisingly broad spectrum of flavors. I'll be trying your suggestion of cumin---had never considered before.

Don't leave out the chanterelles!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
An up-scale supermarket, Bristol Farms, is an easy walk from my home. I was there yesterday to buy, among other things, some baby bellas. Then I saw three other kinds of mushrooms that I hadn't noticed before: bunashimeji, maitake, and enoki. I asked the produce manager about them, and she had the highest praise for the maitake. I bought three 100g (3.5oz) packages of them.

Back at home, I did a little research. The maitake is native to both the US (hen of the woods) and Japan (maitake), but the Japanese name seems to have gained the favor of US foodies.

Yesterday evening I sautéed 1-1/2 packages. They were delicious! These mushrooms are pricey ($4.99 per package), but definitely worth it to me. The best mushrooms that I've eaten, with the possible exception of morels. It's been so long since I've had fresh morels that I can't accurately judge.

BTW – Besides salt and pepper, I like to sprinkle cumin on my mushrooms – that went especially well with the maitakes.

They are expensive and usually $3.99 to $4.99 is the price range but lots of health benefits. I usually get a package every week of the Shiitake mushrooms at the Asian store and cook them in stir fries or add to turkey burgers, etc.

.......................................
MUSHROOMS FOR GOOD HEALTH

Now I’ve been told that certain ones are carcinogenic! Which ones should I avoid?


Originally published October 6, 2006. Updated February 17, 2014.

I’m a big fan of mushrooms, but if you’re just starting to learn about their medicinal properties, I can’t fault you for being confused about which ones are, or aren’t, good for you. In general, I advise against eating a lot of the familiar cultivated white or “button” mushrooms found on supermarket shelves throughout the United States. (Portobello and cremini mushrooms are the same species.) They are among a number of foods (including celery, peanuts, peanut products, and salted, pickled, or smoked foods) that contain natural carcinogens.

We don’t know how dangerous these toxins are, but we do know that they do not occur in other mushrooms that offer great health benefits. For the maximum health benefits of mushrooms, I strongly advise against eating these or any other types of mushrooms raw, whether they’re wild or cultivated. If you’re going to eat them cook them well, at high temperatures, by sauteeing, broiling, or grilling. Heat breaks down many of the toxic constituents.

Fortunately, once-exotic mushroom varieties have become increasingly available in the United States. Some are delicious as additions to your diet, but some are strictly medicinal mushrooms available in dried, liquid extract or in capsule form.

Here’s a brief guide to my favorites:

Shiitake: These meaty and flavorful mushrooms contain a substance called eritadenine, which encourages body tissues to absorb cholesterol and lower the amount circulating in the blood. Shiitakes also have antiviral and anticancer effects. Dried shiitakes, available at Asian grocery stores, are also effective. Fresh ones are readily available thanks to domestic cultivation. (To prepare, remove stems or slice fresh ones thinly; they are often tough.)

Cordyceps: A Chinese fungus used as a tonic and restorative. It is also known for improving athletic performance. You can buy whole, dried cordyceps in health food stores and add them to soups and stews, or drink tea made from powdered cordyceps, but it is more convenient to get cordyceps extracts in liquid or capsule form. To treat general weakness, take cordyceps once or twice a day, following the dosage advice on the product. For health maintenance, take it once or twice a week.

Enoki: Slender white mushrooms that need only brief cooking and have a very mild taste. They are good in soups and salads. Enoki mushrooms have significant anticancer and immune-enhancing effects.

Maitake: This delicious Japanese mushroom is also called “hen of the woods” because it grows in big clusters that resemble the fluffed tail feathers of a nesting hen. You should be able to find these mushrooms dried or fresh in Japanese markets, gourmet foods stores, or upscale supermarkets. Extracts are also widely available. Maitake has anticancer, antiviral, and immune-system enhancing effects and may also help control both high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Reishi: Strictly a medicinal mushroom, not a culinary one, reishi is woody, hard, and bitter. Like maitake and other related mushrooms species, reishi can improve immune function and inhibit the growth of some malignant tumors. It also shows significant anti-inflammatory effects, reduces allergic responsiveness, and protects the liver. You can buy dried, ground mushrooms and use them to make tea if you don’t mind the bitterness. Otherwise, buy reishi tablets, liquid extracts or capsules, which are available online and in health food stores and follow the recommended dosage. Take reishi every day for at least two months to see what it can do for you.

Lion’s Mane: Mushroom health benefits can also come from this nontoxic medicinal and culinary mushroom, which is believed to stimulate nerve growth. It also may improve mild cognitive impairment. A Japanese study published in 2009 found that test scores of study participants who took Lion’s Mane in tablet form improved as over the course of the 16 weeks they took the pills but declined afterwards. The researchers concluded that Lion’s Mane mushrooms are effective in improving mild cognitive impairment.

Turkey Tail: a purely medicinal mushroom with proven anticancer effects. Use extracts in liquid or capsule form.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

https://www.drweil.com/diet-nu...oms-for-good-health/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 41,

A friend of mine bought me a cookbook called "Buck Buck Moose" (that obviously focuses on antlered game recipes).

A couple weeks ago I cooked using one of the recipes for the first time - venison tenderloin with caramelized onions and hen of the woods mushrooms.

It was awesome. (Venison sous vide-ed to a perfect medium rare, then seared in a literally smoking cast iron skillet for about 45 seconds per side. Served with polenta.)



Not sure how good the photo will look, it was a quick phone picture with a few settings edited on my phone, I haven't seen it on a "real" screen. On my phone it looks a little rarer than it was.

I had a private stash to locally grown morels. Then the owners found out. LOL.

I have found them three times in the wild. They are huge and we sliced,sauteed, and froze them.They did not stay in the freezer long. They are my favorite also.

I read somewhere that the Japanese translation (Maitake) means dancing mushroom.Whenever they were found the whole village would dance.

Price out matsutake mushrooms.

Don’t buy though. To me, not worth the price. It’s all about the essence not the taste.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Agreed !

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

Not sure how good the photo will look, it was a quick phone picture with a few settings edited on my phone, I haven't seen it on a "real" screen. On my phone it looks a little rarer than it was.

Come on. That's as staged a picture as one can get. Seriously. I like the white plate on white linen. Sets off the food.

On mushrooms, I like them. I'm fascinated by how it is that mankind got a whole list of edibble mushrooms.

"Look Grok, new kind of mushroom. Go taste."

"mmm.. Grok no breathe. Scratch that mushroom off grocery list."

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

Not sure how good the photo will look, it was a quick phone picture with a few settings edited on my phone, I haven't seen it on a "real" screen. On my phone it looks a little rarer than it was.

Come on. That's as staged a picture as one can get. Seriously. I like the white plate on white linen. Sets off the food.

That's one of our everyday plates on our white synthetic quartz kitchen table. I set my daughter's plate down, thought it looked good, and pulled out my phone.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

Not sure how good the photo will look, it was a quick phone picture with a few settings edited on my phone, I haven't seen it on a "real" screen. On my phone it looks a little rarer than it was.

Come on. That's as staged a picture as one can get. Seriously. I like the white plate on white linen. Sets off the food.

On mushrooms, I like them. I'm fascinated by how it is that mankind got a whole list of edibble mushrooms.

"Look Grok, new kind of mushroom. Go taste."

"mmm.. Grok no breathe. Scratch that mushroom off grocery list."

Yeah, that's an excellent photo of a scrumptious serving! And it reveals an interesting characteristic of maitakes: they brown up very nicely.