Tamales de Huitlacoche (Corn Fungus Tamales)
Also known as “corn smut,” this fungus grows on corn ears, causing the kernels to swell into grayish swirls. The “Mexican truffle,” huitlacoche (or cuitlacoche) is a delicacy that adds an earthy flavor to Mexican foods. It is available fresh during corn season or canned from Herdez. Aaron Sanchez demonstrated this recipe at the 2005 Food & Wine Aspen Classic. Makes 1 dozen tamales.
Ingredients
1 cup instant corn flour (masa harina)
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cans huitlacoche or 2 cups fresh
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 1-pound package corn husks, soaked in water at least 1/2 hour before using
1/2 cup cotija or queso añejo
Directions
For the tamales, moisten instant corn flour with warm water, and set aside. Beat lard or shortening in mixer until creamy and fluffy. Fold in corn flour and chicken stock. Mix well and set aside.
In a blender, purée huitlacoche and cilantro with a little water until smooth. Add to dough and fold in well. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble tamales, open soaked corn husks and place 1 spoonful of dough in center of cornhusk. Fold over sides of husk and secure with a piece of string. Repeat process until all dough is finished. In a large double boiler with a steamer insert, steam tamales 40-45 minutes.
Remove tamales from steamer and allow them to sit for 5 minutes. Open them and serve with a sprinkle of cheese.
Wine ideas: The mushroomy flavors of huitlachoche against the dense, almost earthy flavors of chicken-stock-enriched masa ask for a red wine. Look for something with good acidity and earthy flavors, like a traditional Rioja. Bodegas Montecillo and Bodegas Bretón are two standbys to search out. -Tara Q. Thomas
Aaron’s Home Rendered Lard
Makes 1 quart.
Ingredients
2 or 3 pounds fresh pork fatback
Directions
Place fat in a large, heavy pot with 1 cup of water. Heat over a medium-low flame and cook slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid sticking and scorching. Try to push raw fat under, so it can melt and doesn’t start to spit as it crisps. Continue to render for 2 hours, until fat pieces have shrunk to small toasty bits and sunk to bottom of pot. The rendered fat should be clear yellow.
Let lard cool and settle for 10 minutes, strain through a sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Cool for 1 hour, pour into a heatproof glass container. Lard keeps for 3 months tightly covered in the fridge.
Porotos Mixtos (Mixed Bean Stew)
From Aaron Sanchez, this recipe requires planning for soaking the beans, but the result is worth the effort. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1-1 1/2 cups dried white beans
1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 cup red beans
4 shallots, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig parsley, thyme, oregano, 1 bay leaf)
Olive oil
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
2 small leeks (white parts only), washed and cut into small dice
2 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium tomato, diced,
liquid reserved
Salt and freshly ground
pepper
1 tablespoon chopped
cilantro
Directions
Rinse each type of beans separately under cold water and soak separately in 6 cups water overnight. Reserve 6 cups soaking liquid from the white beans (add water if necessary). In a large stockpot, bring white beans and liquid to a boil. Simmer 40 minutes until tender. Once beans are done, remove 1 cup of beans and set aside. To the remaining beans and cooking liquid, add shallots, fennel and bouquet garni and simmer 20 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and let cool slightly. In a blender or food processor, purée mixture until smooth. Set aside.
In two stockpots, with 4 cups fresh water in each, bring black-eyed peas and red beans to a boil. Simmer 35 minutes, until beans are tender. Drain.
In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until smoking. Add carrot, leeks, celery and jalapeño, and sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato with reserved liquid, cook 5 minutes. Add black-eyed peas, red beans and puréed white beans, mix well and cook 5 minutes. Add 1 cup reserved white beans and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.
Calabacitas con Pico de Gallo (Sautéed Zucchini with Fresh Salsa)
Aaron Sanchez demonstrated this recipe at the 2005 Food & Wine Aspen Classic. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
1 chile de árbol, minced (see glossary on 6F)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch circles
1 recipe pico de gallo (recipe follows)
1/2 cup queso blanco (see glossary on 6F)
Directions
Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with oil. Add chile and garlic and stir 1 minute to flavor oil. Add zucchini and sauté 3 minutes to soften. Add pico de gallo and continue to cook until tomatoes begin to break down and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in cheese and serve.
Wine ideas: The mild, milky flavor of queso blanco and the bright, green flavors of zucchini marry well with grassy, fresh sauvignon blanc. Girard, Joel Gott and Mason make some of the best $15-and-under examples coming out of California today. – Tara Q. Thomas
Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)
Makes 2 cups.
Ingedients
3 ripe medium tomatoes
1 medium white onion, diced
2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
1 jalapeño, minced
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons chopped
cilantro
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (see glossary on 6F)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently fold together to combine. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.
Ensalada de Palmito (Hearts of Palm Salad)
Aaron Sanchez will demostrate this recipe Saturday at the Cherry Creek North Gourmet Series in Fillmore Plaza, East First Avenue and Fillmore Street. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, slivered
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium pineapple
Directions
In a large bowl, combine hearts of palm with peppers, jalapeño, red onion, garlic and cilantro. Toss to mix. Add lime juice, oil, salt and pepper. Toss again so vegetables are well coated.
Scoop out flesh of pineapple with a melon baller or serving spoon; try to keep pineapple in big pieces and leave shell intact. Slice scooped pineapple chunks into thin strips and add to salad. Toss everything together and serve inside hollowed-out pineapple.
Wine ideas: The best match for this spicy and sweet dish may well be a Corona beer, but if you’d rather have wine, choose a sparkling wine such as a Cava. The dish will need one with a little sweetness, like Jaume Serra or Segua Viudas Aria Estate Extra Dry ($8 and $12, respectively.) – Tara Q. Thomas
Pescado en Salsa de Coco (Fish in Coconut Broth)
Aaron Sanchez will give a free demonstration of this and other recipes 2:30-3:45 Saturday at the Cherry Creek North Gourmet Series in Fillmore Plaza, East First Avenue and Fillmore Street. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 red snapper fillets (6-8 ounces each)
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 serrano chile, minced
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
1 cup shrimp stock (recipe follows)
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
Directions
Rinse snapper and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix lime juice and half of garlic together; rub on both sides of fish and let sit 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion, celery, serrano, tomato and remaining garlic to pan. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes, to break down tomatoes and evaporate liquid. Add stock and coconut milk, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. Scrape garlic from snapper so it won’t burn, and season both sides with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. When oil begins to smoke, lay fillets in pan. Gently press fish with a spatula to brown, about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer fish to coconut-broth mixture, browned side up. Toss in mint, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes to finish cooking fish all the way through.
Serve snapper with a ladleful of sauce and garnish with toasted coconut.
Caldo de Camarones (Shrimp Stock)
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked shrimp shells (from about 1 pound of shrimp)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Rinse shrimp shells, spread them out on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, until pink and slightly charred around the edges.
Coat a stockpot with oil and place over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat vegetables. Pour in wine and stir for 1 minute, until reduced slightly.
Add the roasted shrimp shells, herbs and spices. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 2 quarts); too much will make stock taste weak. Allow it to slowly come to a boil, lower heat and simmer gently 45 minutes, uncovered, skimming any impurities that rise to the surface.
Strain stock through a fine sieve into a heatproof container or another pot to remove solids. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Stock keeps for up to a week refrigerated.
