Nature’s candy Beans with chicos
Roasted corn kernels are a better Halloween treat
Halloween, more than almost any other holiday, is about fun. It’s like New Year’s, but with corn syrup instead of booze.
It began with the Gaelic festival Samhain, which celebrated the end of harvest while ushering in the dark half of the year, a spooky time when the boundaries between the living and spirit worlds were thought to become more porous. Brought to America by Irish and Scottish settlers, Halloween found footholds in the southern colonies, and developed a more playful, mischievous, and decidedly corny vibe.
Candy corn didn’t start out as a Halloween treat but jumped on the bandwagon in the 1950s, as Halloween pivoted into a full embrace of processed sugar.
Corn officially became spooky with the release of “Children of the Corn,” a 1984 movie about a Midwestern village where the kids took over and decided nobody was permitted to age beyond 17. In 1993, the world’s first for-profit corn maze was built in Annville, Pennsylvania. Since then the tradition has taken off, and corn mazes now number in the thousands.
When I lived in New Mexico I learned about chicos, a type of Native American dried corn. “Chicos” means “little boys” in Spanish, as the kernels shrink when dried. The ones for sale at the store were dried to the hardness of popcorn, but when I make them at home I let them stay a bit chewy, like real-life versions of candy corn. Each batch of chicos has a unique character, with different levels of brown, crunchiness, chewiness and/or sweetness, depending on the corn and how long it’s roasted.
Many Halloween corn mazes are closed this year, thanks to COVID-19. And door-to-door candy-begging is largely out, too.
So allow me to tell you how I make chicos. I will follow my chicos tips with a few recipes, one sweet and one savory, for how I used them.
Chicos
The only ingredient is corn, preferably with the husk on. Traditionally, the process involves a clay oven or “horno,” but other ovens work, too. Ultimately, you’re doing little more than drying out corn.
Although usually made with fresh corn, I’ve also made chicos with frozen corn, and the operation was surprisingly successful, even if the product lacked the soulful smoky flavor that a roasted corn husk imparts.
Turn the oven to 300 F and place the ears directly on the oven racks, not touching one another, and bake until the husks start to dry out and brown and even smoke a little, about three hours. When cool, peel off the husks. If using husked or frozen corn, skip this step.
Turn oven down to 225. Put the cobs on the oven racks, spaced so as not to touch one another, and bake until the kernels start to shrink and visibly dry out, about four hours. Let the ears cool completely, and rub off the kernels — use the edge of a spoon if they are stubborn. Store in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place. The drier you get them, the longer they will store.
If making chicos from frozen corn, spread the kernels on a cookie sheet and bake at 225. They will take less time — about two hours — and will quickly turn brown and then black.
Chicos and milk
Fill a bowl with chicos and milk, with sugar to taste. When the chicos are gone and you sip the sweet milk that remains, you may feel a distinct deja vu to a time, long ago, when you sipped the sweet leftover milk from a bowl of corn flakes or Frosted Flakes.
A handful of chicos turns a pot of beans into something interesting and delightful. Served alongside rice, you’ve got a delicious meal with complete protein.
Serves 2
• 1 strip bacon (optional, recommended), chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil if skipping the bacon or if it’s lean
• ½ cup minced onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or thyme
• ¼ cup chicos
• 1 can plain beans (pinto, white, black, kidney) including the liquid
• 1 can water or stock
• 1 teaspoon paprika or chile powder to taste
• Salt, if the bacon doesn’t add enough
Fry the bacon on medium heat. When half-crispy, about five minutes, add the onions, garlic and herbs. Fry until the onions become translucent. Add the chicos, beans, water and paprika, and stir together. Season with salt, if necessary. Heat to a simmer, stirring as necessary to prevent sticking. Adjust seasoning and serve.