I need help with Maitake mushrooms!

Eugenia and all, I just made this soup tonight (http://food52.com/recipes/10904-split-pea-and-mushroom-soup-vegetarian-style) and it was delicious!
Thanks for the help and advice.

I remove the thick part of the stems and saute them in olive oil with garlic. My favorite is a warm salad dressing - saute mushrooms in olive oil with garlic and anchovies, throw in a tsp or so of dijon and vinegar and pour over greens.

Hi: I am seriously into mushrooms, even wrote a book about them. Anyway, I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks good. However, if you to bump up the mushroom flavor, I'd set aside some of the maitake, roast it until brown almost crispy, or saute with some garlic, oil, maybe a little hot pepper, then garnish the soup with it. BTW, a sauteed maitake and grilled cheese sandwich (with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts maybe?) would go very well with this soup.

Hi Eugenia - You are a fountain of knowledge regarding Maitake mushrooms and mushrooms in general. I will be saving your remarks! Lots to think about. I was going to use them in this recipe, http://food52.com/recipes/10904-split-pea-and-mushroom-soup-vegetarian-style, with maybe a bit of cauliflower trimmings. I'm not sure how strong they are, can you guess as to how much I should use? Also - would you recommend adding anything else to bring out the mushroom flavor. I don't want it to get lost. This recipe does have garlic, onion and wine which you said mushrooms love. Would you recommend cooking the mushrooms and split peas separately and putting them together before the blending? We are vegetarians so I think this would be a good choice for using the mushrooms. Thank you for your suggestions and help. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Hi: David is right, trim the hard parts. You have cultivated maitake. It was grown on a saw dust log. Use the trimmings to make a pint of mushroom stock: bay, onion, thyme, water boiled gently for an hour or so. The stock is excellent for deglazing meat roasting pans. The tender parts of the mushroom are great roasted on a cookie tray in a hot oven. Dribble with oil, sprinkle with salt. They can be sautéed in butter or oil (great on pasta), or baked in parchment (with a piece of fish), too. Maitake, like all mushrooms, is excellent with or beside proteins (meat, poultry, fish, dairy), but can get lost in vegetable melanges. I always cook mushrooms separately, then add to whatever dish I am ultimately making. Mushrooms love garlic, shallots, onion, wine and brandy, thyme and parsley, butter and cream. Once cooked, they can be packed in a jar with a marinade (oil, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, hot pepper) and refrigerated for up to 10 days. With the marinated Maitake you can make a variety of dishes, much as you would marinated artichokes, like tuna and marinated maitake salad. Maitake is a great source of protein, especially when combined with grains. Maitake Barley Soup is yummy and super nutritious.

To clean, just trim the hard parts that attach to the tree. Japan and most of asia would typically make soup with them. I'm sure you could google Maitake soup and find recipes. I think you could also use them the way you would use any mushroom. I like their earthy, woodsy flavor and enjoy putting them in a skillet with butter, shallots, salt and pepper, let them release their liquid, add a little white wine, reduce and serve over pasta either by themselves or with grilled chicken etc.