RECIPE: LION'S MANE MUSHROOM CARNITAS
Vegan Carnitas…..two words that you never thought would go together. This recipe is something that I created in my mind over the course of a few weeks and I was so incredibly happy when it actually came together in practice.
Like I mentioned above, this dish is something that I worked on in my mind for a while. It was inspired by my first encounter with Lion’s Mane Mushrooms. Their texture is fibrous and chewy like meat and their flavor is rich and hearty. After eating them right out of the oven with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and olive oil I knew that I wanted to play with them more! Luckily I was able to grab these from the source, ordering them from a local vendor. If you are in the Paso Robles area, that vendor is Mighty Cap Mushrooms.
Given their texture and shredability when cooked, I knew that I wanted to play with Lion’s Mane as a Pork substitute. I ended up on the idea of Carnitas because honestly that’s what I wanted to eat and the stars lined up perfectly to make it so. If you like your Carnitas extra crispy I would follow the directions below but let them live under the broiler for longer. If you're scared of the broiler, skip that step entirely and just crisp up your mushrooms in the pan over high heat with a little extra oil. Also I could use this space to tell you everything about Lion’s Mane and all the beautiful positive effects it can have on your body, but this isn’t the platform and I don’t have the time. If you have the time though, do your research. Lion’s Mane is amazing and it truly is a versatile ingredient with benefits for your cooking and your body.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Carnitas:
Prep: 10 Min | Cook: 2 Hours | Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup Vegetable Oil
3.25 pounds of Lions Mane Mushroom cut into bite size pieces
½ white onion. Finely diced
1 cup milk (can use vegan milk if making vegan)
2 tsp oregano
1 sprig CIlantro
2 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
½ cup water
Zest of 1 orange
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally and cook until browned.
Add milk, water, and remaining ingredients.
Reduce heat to low. Cook for 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated.
When the liquid is close to evaporating, turn your broiler to high and set a rack closer to the broiler.
When liquid has evaporated, remove the pan from the heat and use two forks to shred the mushrooms before placing the pan (make sure its heat safe) under the broiler. If you're prone to burning yourself, I would remove the mushrooms from the pan and shred them in a bowl then place them back in the pan and broil for 5-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until you reach desired crispiness.
****If your mushrooms are not shredding, add more liquid (water or broth) and let them cook down for longer until they reach that shreddable texture.
I served these with Poblano Rice, pinto beans, lime, tortillas, and salsa verde.
This recipe was adapted from Mexico: The Cookbook.
