Bearded Tooth

Every now and then in life you stumble across something that is so bizarre, so grotesque, that you just have to have it. It could be that shell "painting" of the adorable cat or the pea-soup colored chair (yes, that's still sitting in our living room); for me this past weekend it was the Bearded Tooth mushroom. Beautiful in its hideousness, it immediately struck me as something I must have. Nestled there among all of the other delights at my favorite "Found and Foraged Edibles" at the market, even the proprietor was covetous of my purchase when I walked away with my six dollar, six inch beast of a mushroom.

A member of the tooth fungus family, the hericium erinaceus is prized for its edibility when it is very young and fresh. Apparently it turns sour with age. Fortunately mine must have been young and fresh because it was quite tasty and not a bit sour. Soft whitish in color, it was a giant ball of brain-like material; shooting off of the main core there were all sorts of dendrites or branches. These branches are apparently the "beard-like spines" that grow outwards as the root end hangs on for dear life to its host, which is most commonly an oak or other hardwood tree.

Regardless of its growing habits, I was quite happy to come across my new friend. My biggest problem with it was knowing how to clean it. I mushroom-brushed the outside, but that really did no good considering all of the open cavities within the branches for dirt and grit to hide. (As it was, I did get a few gritty bites. I'll have to ask the forager what to do about that next week!) I wanted to keep the meal very simple so as not to overwhelm the star of the night. So, after slicing it finely, I simply sauteed the Bearded Tooth in some olive oil and a touch of garlic. In another pan I cooked some beautiful chard leaves with a shallot and then poured four beaten eggs over the top of the chard and let that cook until it was frittata-like. To serve I merely put the sauteed mushrooms on top of the frittata pieces and there was a lovely weeknight dinner.

And how did it taste, you ask? Quite meaty, with an almost chicken-y taste or quality to it. It also had great texture, not slimy or soft in the least bit but rather firm and fleshy. All in all, a pleasantly bizarre find after all.