corn smutI was in Mexico City the first time I heard of huitlacoche. There was a huitlacoche caesar salad on the menu and after learning what huitlacoche was, I decided that I wasn't ready for it.
That was 10 years ago when I was a much more pedestrian eater. Now I am. So I found some in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It was in a Goya can. I was with my sister, who told me that even from a can it was pretty good.
As my sister pointed out to me, huitlacoche (also known as corn smut and the corn mushroom) is INFECTED corn, not rotten corn. Nice to know. I love rotten. But infected. . .
As my sister suggested, I made quesadillas with it:
Smut Quesadillas
a bunch of corn tortillas
a can of huitlacoche
oaxacan string cheese or montery jack cheese
onions
avocados
cilantro
make a quesadilla with any combination of those ingredients. Add a squeeze of fresh lime, sour cream and some salt.
And I made tortilla soup (one of my very favortie soups) to go with it.
Tortilla Soup 6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, preferably a little old and dried out
1/4 cup grapeseed oil, peanut oil, other high smoke-point oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium Anaheim, poblano or jalapeño chile, seeded, veins removed, chopped (Depending on the hotness and flavor desired. You can also mix chiles - 1 Anaheim and a half jalapeño.)
4 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (recommended Muir Glen fire-roasted)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 ripe medium avocado
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz) (or other mild, melting cheese)
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 If you are starting with somewhat old, dried out tortillas, great. If not and you are starting with relatively fresh tortillas, put them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 200°F for 10-15 minutes to dry them out a bit. It is best to start with tortillas that don't have a lot of moisture in them. Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry strips in oil, 1/3 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Reserve.
2 Heat oil remaining in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chile; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.
3 To serve, peel and pit the avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls; ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
I got that recipe from here.
Serves 4.
The soup was fine. Not great. I have had it 10 times better.
The smut was not so great.
Strike one was that it was from a can.
Strike two was that it didn't taste great like so many people told me it did.
Strike three is that it looked like sludge. I was hoping for the huge engourged pieces of corn that looked like fat ticks. None of that. Just sludge.
I am going to try this again, but not until I find some fresh. Maybe in LA.
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