Huitlacoche Quesadilla

5 from 7 votes

A simple quesadilla made with huitlacoche or corn mushrooms, instead of meat. The huitlacoche mixture makes more than you need, enough for 2-3 quesadillas depending on size. Smaller corn tortillas will make 6-8 quesadillas.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: huitlacoche recipe

Servings: Servings

Calories: 34kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 10

Equipment

1 wide skillet
1 mallet or similar for crushing the huitlacoche, optional
1 1 large cast iron skillet or griddle
1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

8 oz fresh or frozen huitlacoche you can use canned huitlacoche but it's not quite the same
6 oz 2 large Roma tomatoes 1 14.5 oz can chopped, whole peeled tomatoes can be substituted
Kosher salt, to taste
Small handful of chopped fresh cilantro Epazote can also be added, and is traditional
1 Tablespoons pork lard or cooking oil
Crushed red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeno, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ tablespoon minced garlic
2 oz grated cheese, such as queso Oaxaca, mozzarella, etc
8 inch flour tortillas or smaller corn tortillas
hot sauce to taste preferably a Mexican brand, like Cholula or Valentina.

Instructions

Tomatoes

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, core the tomatoes, score the bottoms with and X, then put in the boiling water for 30 seconds or until the skin around the X starts to peel back. Remove the tomatoes, cool, peel, squeeze out the seeds and discard, then chop the tomatoes and reserve. You can also use canned, peeled tomatoes.

Huitlacoche Mixture

In a saute pan, heat the lard or oil and add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low until golden, then add the huitlacoche and cook, mashing the mixture up with the back of a spoon as it cooks, until the pan is nearly dry. Season the mixture with salt to taste, add the cilantro and reserve.
(Optional) crush the huitlacoche with a mallet. Traditionally this is done using a matate before cooking, but I find it easier to do in the pan.

Finishing and Serving

To make the quesadilla, grease a large pan, such as a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Add the tortilla and warm it on both sides for a moment or two until pliable on medium heat, then add the cheese and roughly ½ -¾ cup of the huitlacoche mixture.
I like to add a little more cheese around the edge of the tortilla to get a crisp, brown cheese skirt. When the cheese has started to melt, fold the quesadilla in half, pressing it down gently to help it brown evenly.
Add some extra oil if the pan looks dry. Peak under the quesadilla to check on it’s color, when one side is browned, flip it, pressing down gently again, and adding a teaspoon of oil if needed, cooking until the other side is golden brown and crisp.
When both sides are brown and crisp, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board, cut into 4 wedges, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with your favorite accompaniments.

Video

Notes

If using frozen huitlacoche there will be a lot of juice to cook down. To ensure a thick mixture that won't make the tortillas soggy, you can thicken the mixture with a spoonful of cornmeal.

Tinned or frozen huitlacoche has a much stronger flavor than fresh. If you find the flavor too strong for you, mixing in pureed black beans is a great way to mellow the flavor a bit.

Nutrition