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FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Huitlacoche / Corn Mushrooms

Huitlacoche or corn mushrooms utsilago maydisHuitlacoche, or corn mushrooms (corn smut) is one of the most fascinating mushrooms I know of. They're a traditional ingredient in South American and Mexican cuisine, and if you like mushrooms and haven't tried it yet, you're missing out on one of the great fungal delicacies of the world.

If you're lucky to have some fresh or frozen, I have plenty of ideas for you to try or get inspiration from. The mushrooms are also sold in cans, and while it isn't as good as fresh, they work as a substitute in a pinch.

If you're new to cooking with these mushrooms, start out by taking a look at my introductory guide that covers finding, harvesting and cooking.

Huitlacoche Elotes

Huitlacoche or corn mushroom elotes recipe

Huitlacoche elotes, or corn brushed with black mushroom puree with cheese and hot chili is my heartfelt, smutty love letter to Mexican street food and mushrooms.  Sweet corn season is in full swing here in the Midwest: stands filled with green spears of golden kernels dot the roadsides, parking lots of neighborhood watering holes, private…

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Huitlacoche Quesadilla

Quesadilla de huitlacoche cut into triangles

A simple quesadilla with huitlacoche / corn mushrooms / corn smut is probably a contender for one of the best quesadillas I’ve had, especially if you’re new to cooking with huitlacoche, or, you like it and you want to sneak it into a meal to convert people.  A traditional meat substitute  Huitlacoche is a traditional…

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Huitlacoche Choriqueso

Huitlacoche choriqueso in a pan with chips

Choriqueso, the ultra-rich appetizer/dish of chorizo sausage baked with cheese or cheese sauce on top is good on its own, but it’s incredible with huitlacoche / corn mushrooms thrown in the mix. It’s a really unique appetizer for feeding a crowd, and a great way to introduce people to huitlacoche.  Grated cheese or sauce?  Order…

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Smoked Shank Stew with Huitlacoche and Tepary Beans

Venison stew with huitlacoche and tepary beans

Venison shanks (any shanks, really) make great soup and stews, and this one, with Mexican flavors of dried beans and huitlacoche, is fantastic. Originally I was trying to recreate a soup my mother described to me from a trip to Mazatlan, but, instead of the brothy soup I intended, it turned into a more stick-to-your…

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Fresh Tortillas Stuffed with Huitlacoche and Cheese

Huitlacoche quesadillas

Fresh masa tortillas stuffed with huitlacoche and cheese. Yes please.  When I hired a new prep cook from Oaxaca, one of the first things I asked him about was how mushrooms are traditionally prepared in the region. I remember scribbling down “fresh tortilla with Oaxaca cheese“, assuming it was a sort of quesadilla made with…

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Huitlacohe Mushroom Tacos

Huitlacoche tacos with salsa and cheese

Cooking huitlacoche to make a simple taco filling is probably one of my favorite recipes using the mushroom, it’s also a very traditional recipe for huitlacoche, and you can find all kinds of versions of it online, from all over Mexico and the surrounding area.  Traditionally, the mushrooms are gathered and typically stewed with onions,…

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The Huitlacoche Farmer

A beautiful ear of corn with cultivated huitlacoche

Driving through what could easily be mistaken for suburbs on the edge of town, I take a couple turns down some winding roads dotted with nice looking houses and big yards. I get to a stop sign, looking at the normal looking house on the corner and stop for a moment, confused.  I’m looking for…

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Guide to Huitlacoche

Huitlacoche or corn mushrooms utsilago maydis

    Huitlacoche, also known as cuitlacoche, is by far the most famous of any mushroom eaten in Latin America, with a history and tradition to rival any of the most prized wild mushrooms. If you like Mexican food and haven’t had it, you’re missing out on a fascinating culinary delicacy of Central America. I…

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Alan Bergo
I made vegan fish sauce from ramp juice. You tak I made vegan fish sauce from ramp juice. 

You take the pure juice of the leaves, mix it with salt, Koji rice, and more chopped fresh ramp leaves, then ferment it for a bit. 

After the fermentation you put it into a dehydrator and cook it at 145-150 F for 30 days. 

The slow heat causes a Maillard/browning reaction over time. 

After 30 days you strain the liquid and bottle it. It’s the closest thing to plant-based fish sauce I’ve had yet. 

The potency of ramps is a pretty darn good approximation of the glutamates in meat. But you could prob make something similar with combinations of other alliums. 

The taste is crazy. I get toasted ramp, followed by mellow notes from the fermentation. Potent and delicate at the same time. 

I’ve been using it to make simple Japanese-style dipping sauces for tempura etc. 

Pics: 
2: Ramp juice 
3: Juicy leaf pulp 
4: Squeezing excess juice from the pulp
5: After 5 days at 145F 
6: After 30 days 
7: Straining through Muslin to finish

#ramps #veganfishsauce #experimentalfood #kojibuildscommunity #fermentation #foraging
Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Pepin used to make for French president Charles de Gaulle. 

You bake eggs in a ramekin with shrimp topped with creamy morel sauce and eat with toast points. 

Makes for a really special brunch or breakfast. Recipe’s on my site, but it’s even better to watch Jacques make it on you tube. 

#jacquespepin #morels #shrimp #morilles #brunchtime
Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each instead of the pound. 

Good day today, although my Twin Cities spots seem a full two weeks behind from the late spring. 2 hours south they were almost all mature. 

76 for me and 152 for the group. Check your spots, and good luck! 

#morels #murkels #mollymoochers #drylandfish #spongemushroom #theprecious
The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natu The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natural secretion of water I typically see with plants. 

I understand it as an indicator that the mushrooms are growing rapidly, and a byproduct of their metabolism speeding up. If you have some clarifications, chime in. 

Most people know it from Hydnellum 
peckii-another polypore. I’ve never seen it on pheasant backs before.

Morels are coming soon too. Mine were 1 inch tall yesterday in the Twin Cities. 

#guttation #mushroomhunting #cerioporussquamosus #pheasantback #naturesbeauty
Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a grocery store. 

#groceryshopping #sochan #rudbeckialaciniata #foraging
Italian wild food traditions are some of my favori Italian wild food traditions are some of my favorite. 

Case in point: preboggion, a mixture of wild plants, that, depending on the reference, should be made with 5-23 individual plants. 

Here’s a few mixtures I’ve made this spring, along with a reference from the Oxford companion to Italian food. 

The mixture should include some bitter greens (typically assorted asters) but the most important plant is probably borage. 

Making your own version is a good excercise. Here they’re wilted with garlic and oil, but there’s a bunch of traditional recipes the mixture is used in. 

Can you believe this got cut from my book?!

#preboggion #preboggiun #foraging #traditionalfoods
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