A Walk On the Culinary Wild Side

 With smut.. corn smut, that is, huitlacoche (weet-la-ko-chee).  The first time I found this on my corn a few years ago, I was completely freaked out.  Not now.  Now I'm a seasoned smut grower.

Oh no you didn't!  Oh yes, I did.  I ate it.  And so did Tom.

This is some seriously gnarly looking stuff.  Whoever was the first person to eat this must have been on peyote, or starving or...something.  I mean...just imagine you're walking along picking your corn and you come across this freakish ear.  Would your first thought be, "Hey, I bet this would taste good."?

Oh well, now that I've done a google search and discovered it's actually a delicacy and people pay good money for it, I decided to not let it go to waste.  When I discovered it on some of my ears of corn yesterday, I did a quick google search for some recipes.  I decided on a huitlacoche soup because I had all of the ingredients.  And, here they are:

2Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced*

1 cup fresh huitlacoche

2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro (more if you like it, like I do)

5 cups chicken stock or bullion

1 cup cream

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste (if you're using bullion, you won't need salt)

In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté the onion until golden.  Add the garlic and peppers and sauté one minute more.  Add the huitlacoche and minced cilantro.  Add the stock or bullion, bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes.

Simmering ingredients.

Puree in two batches in a blender or food processor.  Add the milk or cream and pepper and salt, if using.

Serve hot, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

Oh, so tasty!

It tastes similar to cream of mushroom soup, which I have loved all my life.

I served it with some regular corn and our first cantaloupe, both from our garden.

*Note to self:  Use some of the jalapeño seeds to make it a little spicier next time.

Depending on the stage of development of your smut, your soup can be a light grey (like mine is) or black.  So, don't be alarmed if you try this recipe and your soup comes out black.