It's great to see the local upsurge in interest in Mexican cuisine sparked by the wonderful new restaurant Mamasita. People in the know say that Mamasita's food is inspired by Mexico and that Los Amates, our next best Mexican restaurant, is authentically regional.

There is nothing intrinsically better about either approach, but for Mexican cuisine to move forward from its peasant roots requires enlightened chefs at the stoves.

Let's face it, corn, beans, tomatoes and chillies are the cornerstones and have remained unchanging for thousands of years. They fed a race of people and that was all that was asked of them.

Why not play around a bit, especially if you live far away from the heartland, whereby some of the ingredients simply aren't available fresh. Take huitlacoche or corn fungus for instance. Fairly unattractive to look at but much appreciated to cook with, it is virtually unobtainable here, where its presence would be looked upon as a disaster by most farmers.



What we do have though are certain species of wild mushrooms that quite happily take to a different treatment and rejoice in new combinations.

Not everyone has a press for making homemade corn tortillas and as good as they are, there's no reason to not use store bought, which are widely available. Flour ones will do at a pinch.

Chorizo & Wild Mushroom Tacos
(serves 4)

2 tablespoons lard or oil
1 large mild chorizo, skinned and sliced into rounds
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 small hot chillies, finely chopped
6 saffron milk caps or other wild mushrooms, sliced
pinch Mexican oregano or other herb
1 tin black beans
salt & fresh ground pepper

Melt the lard or oil in a large frying pan, add the chorizo and lightly brown, then add the onion, garlic and chillies and sweat until the onions are soft. Add the mushrooms, oregano, black beans and cook until mushrooms are softened. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with salsa verde and sour cream, allow at least two tortillas per person.

Labels: chorizo, taco, wild mushroom