Reporting for Corn Duty

The market is resplendent with early corn, so I'm reporting for corn duty. Here are recipes for basic boiled and grilled on the cob and some stuff to slather all over it. And off the cob: a gratin, a roasted corn chowder and my friend Suvir Saran's phenomenal cornbread (you'll need Jiffy cornbread mix!)

n.b. if you've ever tried to post a comment and couldn't ... you should be able to do so now. so PLEASE DO. With over 2000 'hits', and not one comment, I feel like I'm being stalked. peace, love and free speech, jane

If you boil it: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, put yer shucked corn in and when the water, returns to the boil, turn the flame off, remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for about 10 to 12 minutes (less if the corn is tiny, young and just picked). Eat. Here's the beauty: you can leave it sitting in the hot water and it won't get soggy or overcooked. It'll just stay hot and crunchy.

Grilling corn: You can put them directly in their husks onto the grill, turning often. Or, husk the corn, put them in foil - butter, salt and pepper if you wish - and loosely wrap them and put them on the grill or directly into the coals. Turn often.

If you're uncomfortable cutting the kernels from the husks, Ace Hardware has an old-fashioned corn shucker.

Bottom line is: corn isn't only be for livestock. Why should the cows have all the fun?

Martha Rose Shulman, wrote on July 6th, 2009 in the NY Times: Corn is a good source of several nutrients, including thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate,dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus and manganese. A cup of corn supplies 19 percent of the recommended daily dose of folate and about a quarter of daily value for thiamin.

She says to cook corn for 5 or 6 minutes. What do I know?

Now that you've watched The Corny Concerto, here's a culinary corncerto.

Ingredients that are available at the Long Beach Farmers Market, NOW OPEN Saturdays from 9-1 (and Wednesdays from 10-7), are *asterisked.

Corn on the Cob with Mint-Feta Butter

adapted from Gourmet Magazine, August, 2009

Ingredients:

2 oz. European style, unsalted butter (Cabot or Plugra)

8 oz. Greek or French Feta, finely crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint*

8 large ears of corn*, shucked, each cob cut into four pieces

Procedure:

Stir together butter, feta and mint in a large bowl. If you're not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. (Note: this mixture can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. If you do, the flavors will meld nicely!)

Cook corn (see procedures above, or cook according to your favorite method).

Transfer, with tongs to butter mixture and toss until well coated.

Serves 6-8

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Mayonnaise

NY Times 7/6/09

6 to 12 ears corn*

2 large garlic cloves*, cut in half, green shoots removed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large or 2 small chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded

1 teaspoon sauce from the canned adobo chile

1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s or Best Foods

1/2 cup thick plain low-fat yogurt

1. Light a medium-hot grill while you prepare your corn. Remove the outer leaves of the husk, leaving two layers. Gently pull down the remaining leaves, pull off the silk and fold the husks back up, covering the corn. Cut 12 to 24 pieces of butcher’s string about six inches long, and moisten them with water. Tie the cobs at the top and midway down with the wet string. Place in a bowl or a sink full of cold water, and soak for 15 to 30 minutes while you prepare the chipotle dip.

2. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mash to a smooth paste. Add the chipotle, and mash together with the garlic. Stir in the chipotle sauce, mayonnaise and yogurt, and mix together well.

3. When the coals of your grill are medium-hot, remove the corn from the water and pat dry. Place on the grill, and grill until the corn is uniformly charred, turning the ears often. This could take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the heat. Remove from the grill and, holding onto the ears with a kitchen towel, cut away the strings and remove the leaves. Wrap the corn in a kitchen towel to keep warm.

4. Serve with the chipotle dip. Place a generous spoonful on a plate, and roll the corn in it or spread it on the corn with a knife.

Yield: Makes 1 cup of dip.

Advance preparation: You can prepare the corn for grilling hours ahead. The dip will keep for a day in the refrigerator.

Corn and Vegetable Gratin with Cumin

Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen from the NY Times 7/6/09

This pretty gratin is not as rich as it tastes. I blend the kernels from one of the ears of corn with eggs and milk for a sweet, rich custard that holds it all together. Cumin seeds accent the mixture and give it a Southwestern twist.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion*, finely chopped [I omitted the onion because I can't eat onions and it was fine!]

2 medium sized potatoes*, sliced 1/8" thin (Yukon Gold are a good choice)

1 medium red bell pepper*, diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large garlic* clove, minced

1/2 pound zucchini*, thinly sliced or diced

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn* (about 2 cups)

3 large eggs*

1/2 cup milk [I used 2% and it was fine, but whole milk will render a richer custard]

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground in a spice mill. You will be astonished when you perform toasted/untoasted sniff comparison.[Heat the seeds in a small cast iron pan until they are just aromatic, taking care to not let them get to the 'smoking' stage. Buy your cumin at an Indian grocery store. You can get other spices, almonds, raisins and so many other wonderful provisions at Patel Brothers. They have several locations.]

2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup, tightly packed) [I used a sheep's milk Gouda cheese. You can use any sharp, semi-hard to hard, grating cheese ... Romano or a combination of Parmesan and Romano would work. Gruyère is the classic gratin cheese, but with the addition of the toasted cumin, you can think outside the classic gratin cheesebox.]

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the garlic and red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the sliced potatoes and corn from one of the cobs, stir together and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes begin to lose their raw quality and the corn begins to brown. Add zucchini and cook until it begins to turn bright green. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl. This may be prepared ahead of time and set aside until you are ready to assemble the gratin. Or, you may cover and refrigerate it the day before.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the cumin and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the gratin dish.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: Serves six as a side dish.

Roasted Corn Chowder

adapted from Fresh from the Farmers' Market by Janet Fletcher

This recipe is adapted by Janet Fletcher from Mary Evely, the chef at Simi Winery in Healdsburg, CA. Fletcher writes that roasting the corn first imparts a nuttiness, substituting the often overly sweet taste that corn has been cultivated to produce. Potato and cornmeal add body to the soup. She suggests a drizzle of basil oil or crème fraîche, but it's lovely on its own.

Ingredients:

6 ears (or is it "ear"?) of corn*

3 large cloves of garlic*, unpeeled

2 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 large potato* (about 1/2 pound), peeled, in 6 pieces

1 Tbsp. cornmeal (not coarsely ground)

1/2 cup heavy cream (you can substitute 1/2 and 1/2 or even whole milk, but it will be a much lighter chowder. If you're lactose intolerant ... or just intolerant, try soy milk.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

pinch of sugar, optional

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450º F.. Put unhusked corn and unpeeled garlic on a baking sheet and roast until corn is fragrant and husks are lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Let cool, and remove husks and silks. Cut kernels away from cobs. Cut 4 cobs in half crosswise with a heavy knife or cleaver. Discard remaining 2 cobs. Peel the garlic. Set corn kernels and garlic cloves aside.

In a saucepan, combine broth, potato, the halved corn cobs and 3 cups of water. Cover partially, bring to a simmer over moderate heat and adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until potato pieces are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the cobs.

In a food processor, combine corn kernels, garlic cloves, potatoes (lift them from the broth with a slotted spoon) and cornmeal. Puree, adding the potato broth gradually, through the feed tube.

Transfer soup to a sieve set over a bowl and press mixture through sieve with a rubber spatula, leaving corn skins behind. If you have a Mouli food mill, you can pass the soup through the medium or large disc.

Transfer soup to a clean saucepan. Stir in cream (1/2 and 1/2, whole milk or soy milk if you must) and reheat. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and a pinch of sugar, if desired.

Yield: approx. 7 1/2 c. - to serve 6 as a first course

Grandma Hayes's Corn Bread

adapted from Suvir Saran's American Masala

Besides Suvir being one of the sweetest, biggest-hearted men I know, he is a culinary genius. If you haven't looked at any of his cookbooks, do.

If you haven't eaten at his extraordinary restaurant, dèvi, on 18th Street, get on the telephone and make a reservation right now! It's included in restaurant week! When you go, say hello to Chef Hemant. Tell him Suvir's friend, Jane sent you! Your eyes will roll into your head when you taste his prawns, his tandoori lamb chops, his fried chicken (yup!), his fried quail and his fried okra.

Here's Suvir's recipe for cornbread. You've never tasted anything like it. I make it every year for Thanksgiving. But don't wait until November. Suvir suggests roasting the corn over a high flame on the stovetop or on a baking sheet under the broiler before combining the kernels with the other ingredients. (I concur.)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from about 5 medium ear of corn*

1 small onion*

8 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (approx. 1 1/2 c.)

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro*

1 jalapeño* (cored and seeded if you prefer a milder flavor), sliced into rings

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. ground black peppercorns

1 egg*, size large, lightly beaten

2/3 c. fat-free Greek plain yogurt

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400º F and set an oven rack at the lowest position.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to low.

Place the corn, onion, cheese, corn muffin mix, flour, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, cayenne pepper, and ground peppercorns in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and yogurt, then add it to the corn mixture, stirring until just combined and some dry patches remain (the consistency will be thick).

Pour the corn bread batter into the hot skillet and use a rubber spatula to press the batter into the pan. The butter will rise up the sides of the skillet and over the top of the batter. Tilt the skillet toward you, and then rotate it away from you to coat the top of the batter evenly with melted butter.

Bake the corn bread until its top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (some butter will still be bubbling around the edges of the skillet).

Remove the skillet from the oven and set it aside to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

s'all

(s'enuf)

peace, love and maize,

jane