There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow
The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,
An’ it looks like it’s climbin’ clear up to the sky
-from “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”
Whether it’s the steam rising from a pot of boiling ears or cobs grilling alongside a slab of ribs, there’s something wonderful about the sweet smell of corn. The smell is like I imagine an Oklahoma cornfield in late summer would be, although I’ve never been there. Corn is a mainstay in our diets thanks to year-round availability but locally grown corn during the July-October harvest season is a treat for the corn lover. And no respectable cookout is complete without juicy butter-tipped corn.
A staple of Old World cultures dating back more than 7,000 years, corn is a New World “discovery” that has become an American food as iconic as apple pie. Indians taught the earliest pilgrims how to cook it and corn got the new Americans through their first winter in America. Corn pudding, one of my favorites, was served at the first Thanksgiving.
“Zea mays,” its scientific name, has evolved to a more common name, maize. In European countries, maize was used initially as livestock feed and considered unfit for human consumption. That attitude endures. While honeymooning in Paris years ago, we visited an African open market near Notre Dame. Since France still categorizes corn as animal food, Africans sell steamed corn-on-the-cob covertly and illegally. In a daring move, my husband and I bought two hot ears and ate them before Parisian police arrived. What a comic sight as the vendor with a colorful head wrap opened her trench coat – a la Jacques Clouseau – to reveal hidden containers of salt, pepper and spices to season our contraband corn.
While we typically think of it as yellow, corn actually grows in a range of colors including one variety of red, pink, blue and black kernels. Yellow corn has a higher level of carotene (vitamin A) than its white cousin, although white corn is equal to yellow corn in carbohydrates. Sweetness, however, is not determined by color but by genetics, farming and freshness at time of cooking.
I love corn for its diversity of cooking and serving options.
Cooking:
With ease and minimal cooking skill, you can boil, steam, microwave, grill, roast or fry corn. The key in every case is not to overcook it, lest you rob it of its color, sweetness, texture and nutrition. When boiling, bring water to a hard boil, add cobs, cook until the pot reaches a second boil; remove and drain right away. For extra flavor I was taught to add a spoonful of sugar (now Splenda) to the boiling water but never salt; seasoning generally came later. Microwaving is great for making a few ears quickly, reducing the loss of nutrients through the water. To microwave, roll up to three ears in damp paper towel sheets and microwave on high for approximately three minutes or microwave with the husks on for about seven minutes on high. The husks and silk will come off easily but be careful handling the hot cobs. For grilling, make sure your grill is very hot, so it roasts, not steams, the corn. Grill the corn about seven minutes, so the edges of the husk blacken, then, holding it with a dish towel, strip off the husks and silk. For roasting, the more sugar in the corn, the less roasting time. Roasting for 45 minutes at 400 degrees turns the husks brown, slightly burning the edges.
Serving:
My mother’s Southern version of succotash was always a perfect combination of crispy corn, perky okra and chunky tomatoes. Maybe it had to do with the freshness of the vegetables (never canned) or that old cast iron skillet but I’ve never been able to truly replicate her dish. Lately, my favorite way to serve corn is to microwave the ears, sprinkle them with cumin, black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese and lightly spray them with olive oil, then wrap in foil and throw them on the grill 5 minutes before it’s time to eat. The flavor is perfect with any kind of grilled meat. Popular ways to serve them in Mexico are with lime wedges and salt on the side or slathered with mayo and dusted with chili powder. It’s a tasty alternative to buttering.
Finally, there’s what I call the “Big Momma” way. My grandmother loved fresh corn but was wary of eating it from the cob with her dentures. She’d use a knife to shave the kernels from the cob and then season them to taste. Not nearly as much fun as eating a buttery cob with those little plastic corn holders but less embarrassing, I suppose. That’s something to keep in mind for the (y)ears to come.
The next time you bring a half-dozen ears home, try a new cooking or serving option in lieu of your regular way. No matter which method you use, (hum) “I have a wonderful feeling, everything’s going your way.”
CORN: Tips and Teasers
* Since the sugar in corn starts turning to starch immediately, refrigerate corn up to three days to maintain freshness.
* For maximum flavor and nutrition, minimize the cooking time and the amount of water used.
* Whole cobs in their husks (raw or cooked) may be frozen up to one year but I suggest up to four months.
* Add spice to your corn with chipotle or jalapeno pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, 5-spice seasoning, rubbed garlic, crushed ginger, crushed cilantro or thyme leaves.
* For easy eating, break cobs in half and poke wooden skewers into the broader ends.
* With a sharp knife, slice cobs widthwise into thin disks and pan fry with a little cooking spray, fresh cilantro, chives or onions and seasoning until tender but crunchy.
* Add fresh corn cut from one cob and a diced jalapeno pepper to your favorite cornbread recipe. Serve hot with lots of butter.
Recipes:
Jacqui’s Corn & Crab Chowder
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
6 oz. bacon, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups bottled clam juice
3-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 lb. fresh corn kernels
1 lb. fresh crabmeat, flaked or chopped
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper (black or cayenne), more as desired
Saute bacon over medium heat in large saucepan until crisp; drain on paper towels. Discard all but a few tbsp. bacon fat. Add onion to saucepan and sautÈ until soft and lightly browned. Add potatoes and stir to coat. Add clam juice and bring to mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to just below a simmer, cover and cook about 10 minutes.
Add cream, corn, crab, cilantro and bacon. Cook uncovered until potatoes and corn are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper.
Serve hot with bread. Serves 6.
Minnie Love’s Holiday Corn Pudding
4 cups corn, cut from the cob
1/3 cup melted butter
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1 – 3 teaspoons sugar, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place corn in a medium-size casserole dish. Stir in melted butter. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light. Add milk, sugar, spices and salt. Blend well and pour over corn. Then pour cream or evaporated milk over everything. Bake 30-40 minutes until set. Serve immediately. 6 servings.
–Jacqui Love Marshall lives in Danville with her vintage car-loving husband, two pugs and binders of recipes.
