There have been so many fresh wild things to choose from right now and for some of us, a lot of time to gather and prepare them. With all the rain in North Texas lately I'm still getting plenty of Hericium so I decided to pull out one of my favorite recipes and put a spring spin on it. The above photo shows Hericium 'crab' cakes (made with sumac and wild onions too) sitting on a bed of sautéed dock, nettle sauce and cashew cream garnished with chickweed, radish, redbud flowers, and drummond's onion flowers.
Above is Hericium corraloides which I find quit a bit of but any Hericium or tender Pleurotus species would work just fine. Note the short spines and elaborate branching that distinguish H. corraloides from other Hericium species.
Athough the Hericium is the star of the show, ideas for this dish started when I decided to do something with heartleaf nettle besides soup. Nettle soup is great, I just wanted something different.
Above is a picture of heartleaf nettle (Urtica chamaedryoides). Unlike the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) heartleaf nettle stings really pack a punch and persist for hours, or in my experience, overnight! Fortunately, these leaves are edible when carefully collected and then boiled.
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| close up of leaves and stem of Urtica chamaedryoides showing the part that causes the pain |
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