Caldo de Terekuas de la Meseta P'urhépecha

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide clay cazuela from Capula or Tzintzuntzan, or a heavy 5-quart pot
• •Volcanic stone molcajete for crushing garlic and chile
• •Soft brush or clean towel for cleaning mushrooms
• •Comal for warming hand-pressed tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort the terekuas

   Spread the mushrooms on a tray and look at every piece. Use only edible mushrooms identified by someone who knows the Meseta forest, a trusted forager, a cocinera tradicional, or a serious mercado vendor. Brush away pine needles and soil with a dry towel or soft brush. If a mushroom is slimy, worm-eaten, or uncertain, throw it out. No caldo is worth poisoning your family.

   Do not learn mushroom identification from a photo on your phone. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. Ask the women at the market, then listen.
2. 2

   Tear and hold

   Tear large mushrooms into rough pieces with your hands and leave small ones whole. Do not slice everything into neat supermarket pieces. The uneven edges give the broth body and let the mushrooms show what they are. If they are gritty, rinse quickly in a bowl of cold water, lift them out, and dry them well. Do not soak them.

3. 3

   Crush the seasoning

   In a molcajete, crush the garlic, the chopped chile perón verde, and 1 teaspoon of the salt into a rough paste. The chile should smell green and sharp, not aggressive. This caldo is not about proving how much heat you can survive. Not all Mexican food is hot. The chile wakes the mushroom, that is its job.

4. 4

   Start the cazuela

   Set a wide clay cazuela or heavy pot over medium heat and melt the manteca de cerdo. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it turns translucent and sweet. Do not brown it. Add the garlic and chile paste and cook for 1 minute, just until the raw edge leaves. La manteca es el sabor, even in a forest caldo. A spoonful is enough.

5. 5

   Cook the mushrooms

   Add the torn terekuas and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until every piece is glossed with the onion, garlic, chile, and lard. At first the pot will look dry. Then the mushrooms will give up their own liquid. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until that liquid darkens slightly and smells like wet pine, garlic, and earth. This is where the broth begins, before water enters the pot.

6. 6

   Simmer the caldo

   Pour in the 8 cups water and add the sliced chile perón verde. Scrape the bottom of the cazuela with the spoon. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes. The broth should turn pale amber, with small beads of manteca on the surface and mushroom pieces floating near the top. Taste for salt. A weak broth means you were timid with the salt.

7. 7

   Add the herbs

   Add the epazote sprigs and simmer for 5 more minutes. If you have true nurite from the Meseta, bruise the sprig between your fingers and add it during the final minute only. If you do not have nurite, leave it out. Do not replace it with mint, oregano, or whatever herb is sitting in your refrigerator. Nurite is nurite. Substitute nothing.

   Epazote turns muddy when boiled too long. It should season the broth, not take over the pot.
8. 8

   Serve in clay bowls

   Remove the herb stems. Ladle the caldo into deep green-glazed Michoacán clay bowls, making sure each serving gets plenty of mushrooms and a little chile. Serve with warm hand-pressed corn tortillas from the comal. No crema. No shredded cheese. This is a clean Meseta broth, not a disguise for dairy. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Foraged mushrooms are serious food. Use only edible mushrooms identified by an expert forager, a cocinera tradicional, or a trusted mercado vendor from the Meseta. If there is doubt, there is no doubt: do not cook it.
• •Chile perón verde is the Michoacán choice here, thick-fleshed and aromatic. If your mercado only has chile serrano, use 3 serranos. That is a compromise, not an upgrade, but it keeps the broth in the right direction.
• •Nurite is endemic to the Meseta and carries a medicinal, resinous flavor that does not behave like mint or oregano. If you have genuine nurite, use a small sprig. If you do not, leave it out. Así se hace y punto.
• •Do not drown this caldo in lime. The point is mushroom, garlic, chile verde, epazote, and the light sheen of manteca. The broth should taste clean, not sour.

Advance Preparation

• •The mushrooms can be sorted and brushed clean up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them loosely covered in the refrigerator with a dry towel, not sealed in plastic.
• •The garlic and chile paste can be made 2 hours ahead and held covered at room temperature.
• •This caldo is best the day it is made. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated, but the epazote will darken and the mushrooms will soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 475g)