Corn Chowder with Pablanos and Zucchini

Are you tired of corn yet? I know I am. Oy vey! This is the last corny recipe for a while. I promise!

Well, at least until the salsas and pickled corn get prepped for our winter stash.

adapted from Vodka and Biscuits

serves 4

The Ingredients:
3 slices of bacon
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely diced
2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, diced
1 Tbsp butter
3 ears of corn, shucked and kernels removed
2 cups milk
3-4 green onions, sliced, divided
salt and pepper to taste

The Process:
Heat a large, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon crisp. Remove and reserve the bacon for garnish.

Add the onion, pablano and garlic to saucepan with the bacon fat. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, 3-4 minutes.

Add the butter and squash and toss to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cover saucepan with a lid. Cook the vegetables an additional 5 minutes or until the squash is tender.

While the vegetables cook, combine the milk with half of the corn kernels in a blender. Blend on high until very smooth.


Transfer the corn purée into the saucepan along with the remaining corn and half of the green onions. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the corn is heated through and the soup has reduced slightly.


Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot, garnished with reserved bacon and remaining green onion.

Pablano Polenta Stuffed Peppers

My usual course of action with several peppers on hand is to stuff them. Typically, fillings involve ground meat and rice, smothered in tomato sauce. On rare occasions an Indian inspired version comes about, using lentils or chickpeas and copious amounts of cumin and garam masala. This tex-mex corn-centric version is a first for me. I blame the endless sea of sweet corn we were blessed with late this summer.

adapted from Martha Stewart's Polenta Stuffed Peppers and Stuffed Poblano Peppers

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 pablano pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup coarse cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
2 ears of corn
1 1/2 cup shredded monteray jack cheese
4 bell peppers, halved, stem and seeds removed

The Process:
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp of butter. Add the poblano, onion and garlic.  Sautee util tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil.

Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, salt, pepper and cumin. Reduce to a simmer. Whisk frequently until the polenta thickens, about 5 minutes. Add additional water as needed. Remove from heat and fold in the remaining butter, corn kernel, and half of the cheese. Stir until cheese and butter has melted. Season with addition salt, pepper and cumin to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375

Arrange the pepper halves in a large shallow baking dish. Spoon the polenta into the peppers.  Add 1/2 of water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle the peppers with remaining cheese. Return dish to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the peppers are tender.

Serve garnished with salsa and cilantro.

Skillet Corn Cakes

Corn, corn and more corn. But this time, for breakfast!

These cakes, fritters or patties (what you will) are quite lovely served with fried or poached eggs...runny yolks soaking into the cornmeal...

Mmmmm.

adpated from Cookie Monster Cooking

serves 4

The Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup milk
3 ears corn, shucked and and kernels removed
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil, divided

The Process:
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.

In a second bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the corn kernels and green onions.

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches,  spoon 1/4 cup amounts of batter into the skillet, flatten each dollop slightly. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve hot, with salsa or garnish of your choice.

Corn Dog Fritters

Corn dogs are a guilty pleasure of mine. With mustard. Always with mustard. This portable meal is not something I would consider making at home. Until now. This recipe is state fair food at its finest, in bite-size form! On-a-stick optional.

adapted from Mantitlement

yields 15-20 fritters

The Ingredients
canola or vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 ears of corn, shucked and kernels removed
3 all beef hot dogs, diced

The Process:
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed deep-sided saucepan half way full of oil. Bring oil to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined. Fold in the corn kernels and diced hot dog.

Working in batches, gently drop the batter by heaping tablespoon into the oil. Fry 2-3 minutes, turning once, until the batter is cooked through and golden brown.

Remove to a paper towel lined cooling rack and immedieately sprinkle with a touch of salt.

Serve hot, with condiments of your choice.

Sweet Corn Risotto

I find something very soothing about making risotto. The slow additions of broth, the constant stirring. This dish has the added bonus of using up the last of the summers bounty of sweet corn.

I still have a few additional corn recipes in the works though...fritters, sweet corn cupcakes and chowder all come to mind.

adapted from Food and Wine

serves 2-3

The Ingredients:
1 ear of corn, shucked 
3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3/4 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup Pilsner or saison (or dry white wine if you must)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

The Process:
Cut the corn from the cob: Place an ear of corn, base side down, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, start at the top and cut downward with a gentle sawing motion, cutting corn from the cob at about two-thirds the depth of the kernels. Continue cutting until all of the corn is removed. Set the corn kernels aside.

In a medium sauce pan, add the stock along with the corn cob. Heat to a gentle simmer. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté
until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat evenly.

Slowly pour in the beer.  Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, stirring continuously.  Once the beer has been absorbed, add the warm chicken stock, one ladle full at a time, allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next.  Patience is key.  Stir gently and continuously.

Once about half of the stack has been absorbed, add the corn kernels. Continue to add the stock as before. Discard the corn cob after the last of the stock has been added to the risotto.
 
Once the last of the stock has been absorbed, the rice should be creamy in texture and slightly al dente. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan cheese.  Remove the risotto from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. 

Cilantro-Lime Steak with Tex-Mex Quinoa

Tonight's dinner came courtesy of Pinterest. Periodically, when attempting to draw up a grocery list, I turn back to boards overflowing with legitimate recipes and dotted with flights of pure fancy. Usually something will catch my eye and inspiration will hit, as was the case with the one-skillet quinoa recipe.

Not surprisingly, I already had all of the ingredients in my pantry for this lovely little dish.  Billed as a vegetarian main course, the quinoa certainly stands well on it's own, but we were in a protein mood. And the sirloin tip steaks beckoned at us from the butcher counter.

A note on the avocado...it is lovely stirred into the quinoa just prior to serving, but does not stand up well as leftovers. When in doubt, serve it on the side. Thin bright green slices do make a lovely garnish.

Steak marinade adapted from Danny Boome's recipe at Foodnetwork.com
Quinoa adapted from Chung-ah's recipe at damndelicious.net

serves 4

The Ingredients:
for the steak
4- 4oz sirloin tip steaks
2 limes, juice and zest
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
small handful fresh cilantro, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

for the quinoa
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lime
small handful fresh cilantro, minced
1 avocado, peeled pitted and diced

The Process:
Marinade the steak:
Place the steaks in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Whisk together the lime juice and zest, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and cilantro. Pour over the steaks, turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prior to cooking, remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Cook the quinoa:
In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño. Sauté stirring frequently, until fragrant and the onion is translucent



, 6-8 minutes.

Stir in quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is cooked tender, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
 Sear the steak and serve:
Place a seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and heat the oven to 500 F.  Once the oven has pre-heated, remove the skillet and place on HIGH heat on the stove.  Remove the steaks from marinade and place directly into the hot, dry skillet. Sear, without moving for 30-45 seconds. Flip and sear an additional 30-45 seconds. Place the skillet and steaks into the pre-heated oven. Cook about 5 minutes for medium rare, 7-8 minutes for medium.

Remove from the oven and transfer steaks to a plate. Loosely tent with foil and allow to rest 2-3 minutes before serving. Plate along with quinoa.

Pale Ale Corn Muffins

In the middle of February, when the days are cold and the work is slow, how better to heat things up then with a chili cook-off.  This past Friday the ladies and gentlemen of the costume shop put together a killer feast with four types of chili, a plethora of toppings, deviled eggs, fruit salad, and of course, corn bread.

In retrospect, I should have tracked down a recipe without any flour, or modified this one to accommodate our two co-workers with gluten intolerance.  Such substitutions would have been fairly easy.  Keep in mind, if you do convert this recipe, be sure to find a gluten free beer as well.  The wheat content is usually nominal, but better safe than sorry.

Those that were able to grab a muffin thoroughly enjoyed them.  These are dense.  And moist.  More akin to a quick bread than the crumbly Jiffy mix I'm more accustomed to.  Sweet, too.  Bursting with corn flavor from both the grain and the whole kernel corn.  The course ground corn meal adds a lovely grainy texture as well. 

The beer acts as a leavening agent as well as imparting a bit of flavor of its own.  The market is saturated with so many wonderful craft beers right now.  If you want to keep the flavor light, stick with a pilsner or other lager.  A pale ale is lovely, if you find one with the right type of peppery hops.  If you're vigilant, you may even stumble upon one with chili or smoked pepper out there.  Trust me.  They exist. 

I opted for Furthermore's Knot Stock, which is a pale ale with an intense cracked pepper flavor.  The pepper is barely discernible in the final product, but there is no mistaking the effervescent quality that the beer lends. 

Adapted from Jackie at the Beeroness

yields about 15 muffins

The Ingredients:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1-2 Tbsp fresh, minced jalapeno
3/4 cup course ground corn meal
3/4 cup milk
3/4 all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup pale ale
1 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 400

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the jalapenos and saute until tender and  fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Add the cornmeal and milk.  Whisk until well combined and bring to a gentle boil.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey.  Stir the wet into the dry.  Add the cooked cornmeal and fold until just combined.  Add the beer and corn, again mixing until just combined.

Generously grease or butter 15 muffin cups.  Spoon approximately 1/4 cup of batter into each cup.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool slightly in the muffin tins.  Transfer muffins from the tins to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Cheddar and Green Chili Corn Cakes with Mango Avocado Salsa

Is it an appetizer?  Or a side?  After eating a few I may suspect they may even fit into the breakfast category.  Regardless, these little corn cakes are incredibly tasty.  You'd think fifteen would go a long way, but between three folk, we barely had any left for the next day.

Thankfully these cakes are a breeze to whip up...only a hair more complicated than pancakes.  And likely as not you already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

The salsa is a slightly sweeter spin on my usual guacamole, only the traditional tomato is substituted with mango.

Enjoy!

inspired by Alida's recipe at Simply Delicious

yields approximately 15 corn cakes

The Ingredients:
for the corn cakes
2 cups whole kernel corn
1-15 oz can creamed corn
2 eggs
1-4oz can green chilies
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

for the salsa
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder

The Process:
For the cakes:
In a medium bowl whisk together the corn, creamed corn, eggs, chilies and milk.  In a another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.  Fold in the cheese.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Spoon about 3 Tbsp of the batter into the pan.  Fry for 4-5 on each side or until golden brown and crisp.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm

For the salsa
In a medium bowl, toss all of the ingredients until well combined. 

Spoon the salsa over the cakes, serve warm

Paula Deen's Corn Casserole

Usually I avoid canned and pre-packaged foods like the plague.  But every once in a blue moon the urge hits.  This is pure, greasy awful comfort food.  Sort of a mix between cornbread and corn mush.  Only Paula Dean....

Adapted from Paula's recipe at The FoodNetwork.com

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

The Process:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, stir together the both cans of corn, corn muffin mix,onions, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.