Share this recipe:
Hen of the Woods and Wild Rice Autumn Salad
Looking for the perfect autumn salad? Well, here it is—with beautiful wild fall mushrooms, chestnuts, apples, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and wild rice, you couldn’t get any more autumnal!
This hearty salad could be served alongside chicken, fish, or game (or even your Thanksgiving meal), or you could serve it as a meal in and of itself. Hen of the woods mushrooms, also known as maitake, can be found growing wild at the base of oak trees in the fall, or can be purchased at some farmers’ markets, or upscale grocers like Eataly, or Whole Foods.
Feel free to alter the salad with what you have on hand. Can’t find chestnuts? Use walnuts! Have some sweet persimmons ready to harvest in the backyard? Replace the apples with them!
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time40 min
- Total Time1 hr 10 min
- Yield4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup true wild rice (not the grocery store mixes—consider purchasing from an indigenous source)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 4-6 cups water, chicken stock, or mushroom stock
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 whole sage leaves + 6 fresh sage leaves, minced
- 1/2 lb hen of the woods mushroom, torn into bite-sized shreds
- 1 cup water
- Black pepper
- 1 cup chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 3.5oz (100g) cooked chestnuts, chopped
- 1 apple, cored and chopped\
- 1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons nut oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Preparation
Add the wild rice, salt, and water/stock to a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook wild rice for 50 minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves, cooking them until crispy and flipping once, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms and the water, cooking and stirring often until the water dissipates and the mushrooms are lightly browned and softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add more butter or oil if necessary (if the pan is getting too dry). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the leeks and celery to the skillet, cooking until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer to the bowl.
Add the cranberries, chestnuts, fresh minced sage, apple, pumpkin seeds, cooked wild rice (and any liquid left in the bottom of the pot under 1/2 cup), oil, and vinegar to the bowl and mix well. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notice how I didn’t have you scroll through pages of mundane nonsense to get to the recipe? Notice that there were no annoying pop-ups or ads? That was on purpose!
I want finding and using my recipes to be easy for you, not frustrating. That does translate into a lot of lost income for me though. If you made this recipe and loved it, would you consider “buying me a coffee” and donating a buck or two through the Buy Me a Coffee app? It will help me keep pumping out recipes like this one!
