Tortillas are well known globally, and many Americans are familiar with tamales, but there are other corn-based items from Mexico, too, including the oval stuffed corn street food called tlacoyo.
A version of it is made at Vela Bar y Cocina in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. There chef Jorge Angulo nixtamalizes corn in-house, grinds it and makes it into large tortillas which he fills with black beans and Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheeses and folds into a football shape. He sears it on the plancha until crispy and then tops it with an avocado salsa verde and a combination of mushrooms from Four Star Mushrooms (pictured are lion’s mane, maitake, and oyster mushrooms). The lion’s mane is seared, the maitake is fried, and the oysters are sautéed. They are all tossed in a salsa negra made with charred guajillo, pasilla, and ancho chiles cooked with brown sugar and finished with white vinegar.
It’s garnished with toasted cotija cheese and microgreens from Closed Loop Farms.
