Chicken of the Woods Tacos

 

COTW taco filling

Crispy tortillas

Iceberg lettuce

Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Chipotle crema

Pico de gallo

Sliced avocado

Hot sauce of choice

Pork, duck, or bear fat

Butter

COTW Taco Filling

1 lb. COTW mushrooms, raw or blanched

1½ – 2 C. stock

8 T. butter and/or pork fat

2 T. Achiote paste

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. Guajillo powder

1 T. Ancho powder

1 T. Mexican oregano

1 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Pico de Gallo

5 large Roma tomatoes

1 C. chopped white onion, soaked in cold water

1 large jalapeno, seeded, roughly chopped

1 C. cilantro

⅓ C. fresh lime juice

Kosher salt

Chipotle Crema

1 C. sour cream

3-4 chipotles in adobo with sauce

2 T. lime juice

1 tsp. Kosher salt

 

Clean and grind the mushrooms in the large die of the grinder. Grinding it down too much will create more of a paste than something similar to ground meat. Set aside. Combine all of the spices to make the taco seasoning mix. Puree the cream ingredients together and set aside. Shred the iceberg lettuce. Buzz or finely hand chop the pico de gallo ingredients until your preferred size and texture. (I like saving time and using the blender for a salsa consistency.) Warm the stock and vinegar in a small pot. Whisk in the achiote paste. Add half the butter and fat to a large skillet on high heat, preferably cast iron, and brown the ground mushroom in two batches until slightly crispy. You may need to add more fat to accomplish this. Put the ground mushrooms back into the skillet on medium-high heat and mix in the taco seasoning. Cook for a minute or two. Add the stock mixture and reduce the heat. The mushrooms will absorb this fast, but the point is to cook out the raw flavor of the spices. Remove the taco filling from the heat after around five minutes, or once the liquids have cooked out. Add a couple of T. of butter to a nonstick pan. Sear the mushroom mixture in batches to get extra crispy edges. Crisp the flour tortillas in a pan or over an open flame, slice some avocado, and plate the tacos with the crema, lettuce, and pico de gallo.