07.21.09

The Maize Craze…

Posted in Corn at 11:35 pm by cecilia

I was a teenager when I decided to flee my Chinese upbringing and move to the midwest United States. Knowing me, my late father was absolutely convinced that I based my decision on my love for corn. It was understandable. After all, I thought I could survive only on corn if there was no other food around. Did you know that corn is actually considered as a grain and not a vegetable? Corn is in season here in the bay area. There are so many ways to eat fresh corn. Tonight, I settled on two of my favorite recipes. They were both so simple and delicious that I must share with you immediately. I’m also sharing with you some tricks I use when cutting corn and cooking it in a soup. Hope you’ll give them a try and enjoy this amazing grain.

Grilled Corn Salad

Serves 4  (Printable version here)

Ingredients

• 3 ears of corn
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, sliced
• 1 cup feta cheese, cubed (I used a barrel-aged feta from Mt. Vikos which is not very salty)
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Fire up the BBQ or stove-top grill. After removing the husks and silks from the corn, place them on the grill. Turn the corn slightly every 5-10 minutes to cook them evenly. Let the corn char a little bit. Set them aside to cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with ground cumin and pimentón. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for taste, and slowly add the olive oil to make a vinaigrette.
3. In a large round plate, preferably with a beveled edge, place a small ramekin or tea cup up side down in the center. Steady each ear of corn on the ramekin and cut the kernels off the cob by running a sharp knife down the corn.
4. Add the cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, feta cheese, and basil to the corn. Mix it together.
5. Pour the vinaigrette to the corn mixture and coat evenly.

Corn Chowder with Pepper Cream

Serves 4  (Printable version here)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 Russet potatoes, cubed
• 4 ears of corn
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp pimentón
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the red bell peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler. Rotate the peppers as they blacken and blister evenly. Put them in a bowl and cover to cool.
2. In a large round plate, preferably with a beveled edge, place a small ramekin or tea cup up side down in the center. Steady each ear of corn on the ramekin and cut the kernels off the cob by running a sharp knife down the corn. Save the cobs.
3. Cook the bacon in a heavy saucepan until it’s crisp. Transfer the bits to a plate and absorb the excess fat with paper towels.
4. Add the onion to the fat in the pan and sauté until nearly translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Add the potatoes and stir for 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the milk and heavy cream. Add the reserved cobs from Step 2. Heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
7. Meanwhile, peel the skin and remove the seeds from the red bell peppers. Roughly chop them and put them in a blender.
8. Add basil leaves, cayenne pepper, pimentón, and olive oil to the peppers in the blender. While blending, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Reserve for later use.
9. After simmering the soup for 10 minutes, add the corn and bacon and cook for another 5 minutes.
10. Remove the cobs from the soup. Scrap off and leave any juice in the pot.
11. At this point, you can either serve the soup with some pepper cream on top. Or save 1 cup of soup mixture to a bowl and puree the remaining soup. Add the soup mixture back to the pureed soup and serve with pepper cream on top.

Hope you enjoy these recipes at home.

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