While quesadillas are probably more well known, sopa de huitlacoche is also traditional, and a good way to stretch a small amount of the mushrooms. Today I'll walk you through two different versions: a smooth, pureed soup made with frozen mushrooms, and a more traditional, brothy version with fresh mushrooms, chorizo and potatoes.
Credit for this recipe goes to my mother. During her travels she diligently sends me pictures of menus and food, and the image of the soup she ate in Mazatlán below is the reason you're reading this post. She said it tasted pretty bland, which makes me assume it was made with fresh mushrooms. Thanks Mom!
One thing I've taken from making this recipe over the past few years is just how perfect the pairing of black beans and huitlacoche is. Both ingredients are dark in color, similar in size, and have flavors that compliment each other very well.
When I'm working with frozen or canned mushrooms, I often mix a small amount of mashed black beans with them to smooth out the flavor and make them go farther.
One important thing to keep in mind is that frozen and canned huitlacoche have a much stronger flavor than fresh kernels cut off the cobb. The fresh mushrooms are delicate and mild, so if I have those I'll make a brothy soup to enjoy their texture. Frozen and canned mushrooms are best for a pureed version.
How to Make it
For the pureed soup, start by sweating a blend of aromatics and cooking slowly until translucent. I use leek, white onion, garlic and celery here, but you could add shallots or other alliums too. This isn't a traditional Mexican soup base, but a blend of vegetables helps to round out the flavor. Avoid carrots as they're too sweet.
When the aromatic base is cooked add the huitlacoche, cooking down slowly until the water's released. Frozen huitlacoche will come with a lot of black liquid. For a milder flavor you can discard the liquid, or reduce it down until the pan's dry as shown below.
Next, add the black beans, tomato puree, a little cumin, chili powder and stock. Chicken stock is fine in a pinch, but stock made with a smoked bone is even better.
I usually keep bacon skin and smoked chicken feet in my freezer to flavor stocks and add collagen. The pork skin bouquet below I used in one the more traditional, brothy versions I made.
Simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes. When everything's tender it's ready to puree. I drizzle in a tablespoon or two of oil while blending to make it extra smooth.
Tomato Salad
The soup made with frozen mushrooms is complex, with a rich, earthy taste. Adding a garnish helps you control the flavor, as well as providing texture. Pureed soup by itself reminds me of baby food.
I used a fresh salad of cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers and herbs but you can be creative with what's available. A few sweet corn kernels, pickled red onion, or handful of black nightshade berries as shown above are nice.
The surface tension of a pureed soup can also hold cream or oil to add color and another layer of flavor. I used sour cream blended with a frozen ramp bulb but a dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream is just fine.
Brothy / More Traditional Version
The brothy version is very straightforward. I start by browning some homemade chorizo, removing from the pan cooking onion and garlic in the fat, then adding fresh huitlacoche. After the mushrooms are cooked, add the sausage back to the pan with potatoes, stock, black beans and tomato puree.
Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender, adjust the seasoning and you're good to go. The flavor's better if you make it ahead of time.
The fresh tomato salad would be out of place in this version but a dollop of sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, finely diced red onion, scallion, or avocado make a nice garnish.
I know many of you are adventurous eaters and travelers. Have you tried huitlacoche soup? What did you think?
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Sopa de Huitlacoche
Equipment
- 1 3 quart soup pot
- 1 Blender like a Vitamix
Ingredients
Soup
- ¼ cup cooking oil or bacon fat, or lard, divided
- 6 oz white onion diced
- 3 oz leek diced
- 3 oz celery diced
- 8 oz huitlacoche frozen or canned
- 8 oz tomato puree or tomato sauce, etc
- 3 cups beef stock ideally homemade, or use vegetable stock
- ½ tsp cumin seed
- 2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
Cherry Tomato Salad
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 oz small cherry tomatoes
- 3 oz (1 small) roasted bell pepper peeled and diced
- ½ oz (small handful) cilantro stems thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil sliced or gently torn
- 2 tablespoon thinly sliced chives or nodding onion optional
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice to taste
Sour Cream Garnish
- ½ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
- kosher salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon buttermilk or a splash of milk or water, just enough to loosen it
Instructions
- In a 3 quart soup pot, sweat the leek, celery, onion and garlic in half of the oil on medium heat until translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Add the cumin and chili powder, along with the mushrooms and bring to a simmer. Cook until the pan is nearly dry and the liquid's evaporated.
- Add the tomato puree or sauce, stock, beans, potato and bring to a simmer. Cook at a gentle bubble until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Working in two batches, carefully puree the hot soup, starting on low speed and moving up to high, drizzling in a tablespoon of oil for each batch.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt, cool and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if it's made the night before.
Cherry Tomato Salad
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and mix in a bowl with the bell pepper, herbs, salt, oil and lime juice to taste.
Sour Cream
- Season the sour cream with a pinch of salt and thin it with a splash of buttermilk (or milk or water in a pinch) to loosen.
Serving
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls, drizzle the sour cream on top, then spoon some of the salad in the middle and serve.
Notes
- 16 oz fresh huitlacoche
- 4 oz white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons pork lard or cooking oil
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 small potato (3 oz) peeled and diced ½ inch
- 1 cup pureed canned, peeled tomatoes
- 4 oz chorizo sausage
- Piece of smoked pork skin or a smoked bone (optional)
- ½ cup dried black beans or 1 12 oz can
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon sliced epazote leaves (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon mild chili powder, such as ancho or guajillo for a kick
- Sour cream thinned with a splash of heavy cream or milk until it can be drizzled
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- finely diced white onion (optional)
- Diced avocado (optional)
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