If you are mourning the end of Chanterelle season you should know that here in the Pacific NW we are lucky to have a similar mushroom in season starting in December. Hedgehog Mushrooms aka Sweet Tooth Mushrooms aka Hydnum repandum, get their name from the hanging spines found on the underside of their cap that have a resemblance to their spiky namesake. This characteristic is unique to hedgehogs, making them a safe mushroom for novice foragers.

Found in the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascades, these delicious and unique mushrooms are extremely popular with both foragers and chefs for their taste and nutritional benefits. The pale creamy yellow to salmon pink mushrooms can be spotted in mossy, leafy areas in both coniferous and mixed forests, often in the same spots as chanterelles earlier in the fall!

Along with other highly prized gourmet mushrooms like chanterelles, morels and truffles, hedgehogs are mycorrhizal mushrooms, meaning they form a symbiotic relationship with the living roots of the trees they grow beneath. The fungi colonize the root systems of trees, nourishing the tree with water and nutrients and in return the tree provides the fungus with carbohydrates and sugar formed from photosynthesis. Mycorrizal fungi can extend a tree’s root system up to 1,000 times! It is this relationship that makes hedgehogs so difficult to cultivate and why we have to go to the woods to find them.

How do you cook this winter forest treat? (You do want to cook them, uncooked hedgehog mushrooms can cause an upset stomach.) Hedgehog mushrooms share Chanterelle’s sweet, nutty flavor but with an earthier taste and a firmer texture. Get them when they are young and fresh, (older hedgehogs can be bitter). Start simple and sauté them in butter to put on top of your toast or your steak. They would be decadent in a cream based sauce, provide some meaty texture to your potpie and no one would complain if they showed up in their stir-fry.

And while you are enjoying them, feel good about knowing that they are good for you. Hedgehogs are an excellent source of iron, are high in protein and contain high levels of dietary minerals such as copper and manganese.

Try them out in this easy and nutritious side dish or a comforting pasta dish.

Kale and Hedgehog Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale

• Tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 lb hedgehog mushrooms

• unsalted butter

• olive oil

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Rough chop the hedgehog mushrooms and sauté them in butter with a little olive oil.

2. Wash and chop the kale.

3. When the hedgehogs become tender add the kale and lemon. Continue to sauté until the kale has wilted.

4. Add a tablespoon of butter and season to taste.

Penne with Hedgehogs

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 large leek thinly sliced

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

• 6 cups coarsely chopped wild or cultivated mushrooms (about 1 pound)

• ¾ cup half-and-half

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 8 ounces uncooked penne

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek to pan and cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in sage; cook 30 seconds.

3. Add mushrooms; cook 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.

4. Add half-and-half and cook until liquid is reduced (about 2 minutes).

5. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

6. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add mushroom mixture to pasta and toss gently to coat.