Smoky Black Bean and Huitlacoche Soup

I learned about huitlacoche when I lived along the Colorado River and a corn farmer who was half Hopi, half Latino turned me on to this pathogen of corn. For him, it was a good problem to have. The fungus, which forms tumors or galls on the ears, has a unique flavor that is at once mushroom and corn. In the past few years, I have seen local corn farmers here in Oregon selling ears infected with the fungus. For some people, huitlacoche is a luxury ingredient—it’s known as the truffle