Don't Even Think of Calling This A Fungus

                       To pronounce it is to love it : Huitlacoche! Now, what on God's green
                                             earth is it?

                      Huitlacoche is a dark blue fungus that grows on kernels of the
                      maturing corn plant. In Mexico and parts of the Southwest, it's
                      considered a delicacy. In fact, the search for the rate huitlacoche
                      growth rivals the fol de rol that the French and Italians assign to the
                      truffle hunt.

                      Unfortunately, huitlacoche has never been popular because people call
                      it a "fungus." Or worse. In the Midwest, it's corn soot or corn smut.
                      The French call it a corn goiter. And loosely translated from the
                      Spanish, huitlacoche means "raven poop." clearly, this is a marketing
                      challenge.

                      I spoke with Christina Arnold, who sells huitlacoche along with other
                      Mexican specialty foods, and to her it's all just semantics. She say
                      huitlacoche should be called what it is: a mushroom, a corn
                      mushroom.

                      Last year, Christina's company, El Aficionado, in Arlington, Virginia,
                      shipped 3,000 pounds of this corn mushroom. they sell it for $8 a
                      pound, and specialty stores get four times that from gourmets who say
                      there's nothing like its unique earthy taste with a sweet corny crunch
                      and and edge of smokiness.

                      Huitlacoche occurs in nature - if conditions are perfect. In Mexico, the
                      mushroom grows only from august through November, and only if hot
                      weather follows the rainy season. It feeds on the sugars and
                      carbohydrates of the young corn kernels. As it grows, it swells the
                      entire ear till it looks pregnant. a knowing farmer can spot it at once. If
                      it grows, that is, thought the "if" factor may be changing.

                      Arnold has developed a method for inoculating young corn with the
                      huitlacoche spores. Using this method, she's got a farmer in
                      Pennsylvania actually cultivating huitlacoche. Right now, though, that's
                      all I can tell you. I'm afraid that, until it consistently bears fruit, so to
                      speak, Project huitlacoche is hush-hush.

                      I'm Roger Mummert with Gastronomic Gossip.

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Posted by Margaret Lauterbach on April 14, 1996 at 14:54:49:

Huitlacoche para quesadillas

Chop fungus kernels [corn smut] roughly and set them aside.
In 3 to 4 T cooking oil, saute 1/4 medium onion (chopped) and 1 clove garlic
(finely chopped) until they're soft, but not brown. Add strips from two
small chiles poblanos (peeled) or two canned green chiles), the huitlacoche,
1 large sprig epazote (chopped) and salt to taste. Cook over medium flame
until mix is soft and liquid from the fungus has evaporated (about 15
minutes).

Add to cheese-filled corn tortilla. Muenster cheese works well for this.

Chile-heads folks also suggest mixing chopped huitlacoche with srambled eggs
or serving them with huevos rancheros...It might be worth a call to some
fancy Mexican restaurants such as Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe to
see what they'd pay you for a quantity of it. BTW, he likens the flavor of
huitlacoche to wild morels...it does have a mushroomy aroma, but I didn't
have enough of it to get a morel aroma (didn't want to sear my nose). This
is something you have to grow yourself, it's not commercially available.
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1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of huitlacoche (if huitlacoche is not available, squash flower - flor de calabaza -
     is often substituted) 
     8 fresh tortillas 
     1 sprig of epazote, chopped 
     14 cloves of garlic diced 
     serrano chili, as desired 
     1 onion, diced 
     oil 
     salt 

Procedure:

1. Wash the huitlacoches well.

2. Toast and dice the serrano chilis

3. Fry the onion and garlic. Add the huitlacoche, chili, the epazote and salt and cover the pan. Leave
on high heat until the huitlacoches are well cooked.

4. Fill the tortillas, and fold them to form quesadillas. Cook on both sides. 
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