CP - 6-8-2007 at 11:31 AM
Finally bought a can of huitlacoche after years of consideration. Canned food often does not resemble the fresh, so I am apprehensive about how to go
about using it after looking at some fresh recipes. I'd like to make some sort of hor doeuvre. Once I open the can, I don't think they are going to
be very 'pretty'. So maybe as a filling for tiny tamales or other hidden method? Anybody familiar with using the canned fungus?
I'm open to any cooking technique, but additional ingredients would be limited to those found in a rural tienda.
Oh ya - I asked half a dozen folks working and shopping in the supermarket how they might prepare it. None of them were familiar with it. )-:
-CP
Google 'huitlacoche (canned) recipes?'
neilmac - 6-8-2007 at 12:50 PM
1700 hits - some sounded pretty good..
Neil
CP - 6-8-2007 at 12:53 PM
Now why didn't I think of that? Took the easy way out - ask the Nomads!
Thanks, I'll go agoogle.
DanO - 6-8-2007 at 02:13 PM
Here's a link to a great cooking website that yielded recipes for tamales, quesadillas and a soup. I notice that one of the alternative to the
huitlacoche in a quesadilla is squash blossoms, which I've had. Very tasty.
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=huitlacoche
[Edited on 6-8-2007 by DanO]
Iflyfish - 6-8-2007 at 02:51 PM
Now that would make a great ravioli stuffing! Yum!
Iflyfish
Iflyfish - 6-8-2007 at 02:53 PM
great site DanO
Iflyfish
CP - 6-8-2007 at 04:26 PM
RAVIOLI FILLING!!!!
YES
Oso - 6-8-2007 at 04:29 PM
Have yet to see it in a can. Who makes it? Somehow I can't imagine a label in English- "Canned Corn Smut"?
It can't be any uglier than caviar, which looks pretty much like deer scat.
I've always preferred it straight, in a corn tortilla. The flavor is so unique it doesn't need competition from spices or other ingredients.
bajalera - 6-23-2007 at 07:55 PM
In working on some recipes, I once Googled "Corn smut." Three sites were about corn smut, several thousand others were about other forms of smut.
Quite educational.
I finally opened the can!
CP - 6-27-2007 at 06:55 AM
It was kinda scary at first but I am glad I did not give up on it. I’ll let the picture speaks its 1000 words. Though I only need one to describe
what it looks like straight outta the can.
CP - 6-27-2007 at 06:56 AM
Smell was not at all unpleasant (with eyes closed). Reminded me of that orangeish canned vegetable soup I liked 40 years ago.
In fairness to the fungus; don’t judge all corn smut by this example. Canned food has little resemblance to fresh.
The smut - cleaned up!
CP - 6-27-2007 at 06:58 AM
Texture is mushy, gushy black stuff.
Originally I had envisioned trying complicated hors doeuvre recipes but opted for the familiar since this smut is anything but. I added a bit of
chipotle powder to masa and formed 3” tortillas. Then I made little quesadillas with chopped cuitlacoche, white cheese and minced cilantro.
Everybody liked them. Really, taste wise, there is nothing about it that is not to like. It tastes good. But there is a visual and textural
challenge to the canned product. Next time I see fresh I will try it. Now that I’ve seen canned, the fresh doesn’t look quite so bad…
Sorry no photo of the finished goods.
