Pheasant Back Mushrooms (Polyporus Squamosus)

April 27, 2016

Michael (Karns) took Dennis (Becker) out to hunt for lingering black morels. After the early explosion of the fleeting black variety (Friday, April 22), the golden/yellow morels will pop within the week once the nighttime and soil temps hover at 50-55˚ F. While out scouting for that first hunt Michael also ran across pheasant back mushrooms—absolutely gorgeous shelf-style fungus with a patterning on the caps that resembles the feathered back of a pheasant. Or as my husband noted, a fall grouse. Nevertheless, the pheasant backs tend to appear early alongside/near morels—and if a morel hunt is a bust, it’s truly not if a nice harvest of pheasant backs lands in your backpack.

After Dennis took beautiful studio photos of the pheasant back treasure trove they traveled to my kitchen. They ranged in size from nearly 10 inches across to just 1-1/2 to 2 inches. I trimmed the thick stem ends again after giving them a good rinse (when Michael harvests he’s meticulous about keeping any mushrooms very clean—cleanly cutting them and using a brush to remove excess soil—so they weren’t terribly dirty.) Since I didn’t have a specific recipe in mind for them yet, I coarsely chopped them, measured and weighed them, then sautéed them in a combination of really good butter and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Because they are so thick and meaty I kept the heat at medium for several minutes until the mushrooms began to give up their moisture, then increased the heat to medium-high. I seasoned them with a handful of coarse salt + a generous grind of black pepper, then I stirred them frequently until they were nearly dry and beginning to brown and crisp up around the edges (8-10 minutes). I cooled them, packaged them up well, and popped them in to the freezer for the future.

Buttery Pheasant Back Mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon EVOO

5 cups (about 1 lb.) coarsely chopped Pheasant Back mushrooms

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper