The combination of sweet, lightly smoked corn and rich, earthy mushrooms is one of the great flavor marriages of Mexican food. In this filling, inspired by one of my favorite salsa recipes in The Great Salsa Book, the fresh corn kernels are dry-roasted to capture the sweet corn flavor and infuse them with an appetizing, smoky perfume. Dry roasting is one of the great culinary techniques that give Mexican cuisine its distinctiveness and meaning, and one easily mastered at home. Very simply and effectively, it intensifies and concentrates flavors and imparts the smoky, primordial quality that is characteristic of so many Mexican dishes. Beyond corn, the technique is also used for garlic, tomatoes, and onions, for fresh and dried chiles, and for seeds and nuts.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 tacos

　　2 medium poblano chiles, oil-roasted, peeled, cored, and seeded (page 154)

　　3 tablespoons (or more) butter

　　6 ounces portobello mushrooms (preferably small, with fresh, closed gills), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices with stems

　　1 1/2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

　　2 cloves garlic, minced

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 cup fresh corn kernels, dry-roasted (page 157)

　　1 tablespoon olive oil (preferably Spanish)

　　1 teaspoon chipotle puree (page 153)

　　1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

　　2 teaspoons loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram

　　8 (5 1/2-inch) soft white corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Julienned fresh basil or toasted pine nuts (page 164)

　　

Step 1

Cut the prepared poblano chiles into 1/4-inch-thick strips (rajas); set aside.

　　

Step 2

Preheat a heavy skillet large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan, then add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown and caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the corn, olive oil, chipotle puree, lime juice, cilantro, and marjoram. Serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

　　

Step 4

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and basil. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and basil, fold, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.