Huitlacoche

Ingredients

Pan

• 500 ghuitlacoche
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2 clovesgarlic, chopped
• 1serrano chilli, minced
• 2 tbsplard
• 1large sprig epazote
• salt

To serve

• corn tortillas
• queso Oaxaca
• salsa verde

Directions

1. It is a fungus, Ustilago maydis, that swells the kernels of maize into grey-black galls. Mexican cooks have eaten it since before the Spanish arrived, while farmers in the United States call it corn smut and destroy the crop it grows on.
2. Use it young. The galls should be firm and grey with the black spores still held inside; once they have burst and gone powdery they are past their best.
3. Cut the galls from the cob and chop them coarsely, keeping any loose kernels with them.
4. Fry the onion in the lard until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and chilli for a minute.
5. Add the huitlacoche and cook over a medium heat.
6. It releases a great deal of liquid and turns from grey to inky black within a couple of minutes.
7. Keep cooking until that liquid has gone. Wet huitlacoche makes a quesadilla fall apart, and the flavour concentrates as it reduces.
8. Add the epazote whole and cook for 5 minutes more.
9. Epazote is the traditional partner and it is not a garnish. Its resinous, faintly medicinal note is what the dish is built around, and no other herb stands in for it.
10. Season with salt and pull the epazote stalk out.
11. Warm a tortilla, lay cheese and a spoonful of huitlacoche on one half, fold it over, and griddle until the cheese melts.
12. Serve immediately with salsa verde.
13. The taste is earthy, smoky and mushroom-like, with a sweetness from the maize underneath it.

Technique

• Cuitlacochi is the Nahuatl name and the modern Spanish word comes straight from it.
• Tinned huitlacoche is widely sold and is what most cooks outside Mexico use.
• Fresh is seasonal, appearing in the rainy season, and it is worth the wait.

Substitutions

• Tinned huitlacoche, drained well.
• Dark mushrooms with a little sweetcorn, which approximates it without being the same thing.

Variations

• In a soup with corn and cream.
• As a crêpe filling, which is a Mexico City restaurant favourite.
• Folded into tamales.

History

The maize smut Ustilago maydis, named cuitlacochi in Nahuatl; prized in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times while farmers elsewhere destroy it as a blight.

Frequently asked questions

What is Huitlacoche?

Huitlacoche is a main from Mexico: inky corn fungus cooked with onion and epazote, folded into quesadillas. The maize smut Ustilago maydis, named cuitlacochi in Nahuatl; prized in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times while farmers elsewhere destroy it as a blight.

How long does Huitlacoche take to make?

Huitlacoche takes 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Huitlacoche?

Yes, within limits. Tinned huitlacoche, drained well. Dark mushrooms with a little sweetcorn, which approximates it without being the same thing.