Smoky Mote Blanco with Lime

June 25, 2009 | Comments Off

I like to entertain myself by wandering down the Mexican grocery store aisle and picking out things that I’ve either never cooked with or don’t even know what it is. The mote blanco fell into both categories so I bought it. The dried corn kernels remind me of posole (or hominy) which is a staple in New Mexican cuisine. I love posole and often bring it home from trips to New Mexico so I liked the idea of finding something like it close-by.This recipe was the very successful experiment with Mote Blanco. I initially approached it like I would posole. When Natalia and I were standing over the soaked corn trying to figure out what to do with it next, Natalia suggested sauteing it with butter. What harm could that do, after all? With some spice, smoked paprika and lime, it became a tasty side dish.

Smoky Mote Blanco with Lime

Ingredients:

14 oz. of Mote Blanco (or dried posole)
For simmering:
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic
5 peppercorns
1 dried guadillo pepper, wiped and lightly toasted on a comal or over a flame
1 tbsp salt

For final preparation:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
Parmesan shaved over before serving
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put dried corn in a 3 quart dutch oven and cover with water. Soak overnight or 8-10 hours. Drain the water after soaking and refill to cover by a few inches and add the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and the guajillo pepper. Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the “pop” or bloom and become tender. Discard bay leaves, peppercorns, and pepper stem and drain.

Heat butter in a large skillet until melted. Add the coriander, 1 tsp of the paprika and cumin and saute for a minute. Add the mote blanco and saute until the butter coats the kernels, and then add lime, salt and pepper to taste. Put on a serving platter and sprinkle the remaining paprika over the top and shave Parmesan over the dish and serve immediately. Garnish with lime wedges.

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