TODAY TOMORROW TO KEEP
LIA LEENDERTZ ENJOYS A SEASONAL CROP WITH A TRIO OF RECIPES FOR NOW AND LATER. THIS MONTH: SWEETCORN
Even if you don’t grow your own, you’re likely to come across a glut from time to time – from a friend’s allotment perhaps, in your weekly veg box, or at a stall at the farmers’ market. Finding varied ways to eat and to store this seasonal bounty is satisfying to mind, appetite and pantry. Spend a few hours with your glut and make a dish to eat right away, another for the next day, and a little something for the larder as a future treat.
When the sweetcorn start to arrive, they come thick and fast. The gardener’s perk is to be able to pick and eat them quick: their sugars start to turn to starch the moment they’re gathered, so one that was harvested a few hours ago will taste very different to one picked three minutes ago. If growing your own, test the kernels for ripeness by bursting one. If the liquid within is watery, the cob is underripe but, if it is milky, it is ripe and ready (and if it is mealy and hard, then it has gone over).
The very best sweetcorn you ever taste will be one that was only picked once the water in the pan was already boiling. Sadly, few of us get to eat every meal hanging out at the allotment by an open fire, so it is not a bad idea to have a few sweetcorn recipes up your sleeve for less-than-perfect harvesting scenarios. Happily, they are still pretty good 24 or more hours later, and they are versatile and brilliant ingredients for the table and the store cupboard. »