Two Corn Recipes
For me, there is nothing more delicious than fresh picked corn, just steamed or boiled, with a bit of butter and salt, eaten straight off the cob. Frozen corn from the supermarket is nothing like it. So, every year, when corn is in season at the farmer’s market, we buy a couple of extra dozen ears to freeze. It’s easy to do, just slice off the kernels, place enough in a freezer bag to make a ½” deep layer, seal it up, and stick it in your freezer. When it’s mostly frozen, bend the bag a few times to break it up into smaller pieces, then put it back in the freezer and you’ve got delicious, sweet frozen corn to eat all year round.
Of course, you can also use corn kernels in dishes now, when they are fresh. Here are a couple of my favorite ways to use them.
Oven Baked Corn Risotto
Inspired by Italian risottos, but much simpler to make, especially in summer when you don’t want to stand over a hot stove stirring constantly. It’s not quite as creamy as a stove-top risotto, but it’s a close approximation.
3 ears fresh corn*
1 medium onion*
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2.5 cups Arborio rice
2 quarts chicken stock*
1 cup parmesan cheese
½ cup basil*
Salt as needed
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market
Method
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Dice the onion.
Heat a Dutch oven or other, oven-safe pot that can hold least 4 quarts over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 3-5 minutes.
Add all the rice and continue to cook while stirring until the rice starts to go translucent around the edges, 1-2 minutes.
Increase heat to high and add 1 cup stock, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates. Add remaining stock, bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, and then cover and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.
While the risotto is in the oven, take the kernels off the corn, finely slice the basil, and grate the parmesan.
Stir the corn into the risotto. Put the pot on the stove on medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
Take the risotto off the heat and stir through the parmesan and basil. Taste to see if it
needs any more salt.
Cuban-ish Corn & Bean Salad
There are lots of mojos, but the Cuban one is a sweet and sour garlic sauce. It’s often used as a marinade or on grilled meats and vegetables, but I like to use it on this bean salad.
1 can small white beans
1 can black beans
1 lb. corn kernels
1 red bell pepper
½ cup cilantro
3-4 spring onions
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup orange juice
1 lime
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried oregano
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market
Method
Drain and rinse the beans. Cut the bell pepper into ¼” dice. Finely chop cilantro. Cut the spring onion into ¼” slices.
Crush the garlic using a garlic press or mince very finely. Warm the olive oil in a small pan on medium-low. When it’s heated through, stir in the garlic and let it infuse for 5 minutes.
Combine bell pepper, corn, beans, spring onions, and cilantro.
Put the infused olive oil into a small, sealable container with the orange juice, the juice of all the limes, cumin, salt, and oregano. Shake until it’s very well mixed, then pour over the salad and stir.
