Corny and terrific
SIMPLY DELICIOUS
Who does not love sweetcorn? Eaten straight off the cob it is hard to beat. But no matter what you start with – fresh, frozen or canned – and what you do with it, corn is one of those vegetables that never lets you down.
It also came up trumps when, aged eight or nine, I planted a few rows in our backyard. Day after day I watered them, occasionally adding manure scraped from the chook-house floor. Suddenly, it seemed, the corn was ‘‘as high as an elephant’s eye’’ and bristling with plump and juicy cobs. In a few weeks we had ploughed through the lot. Mum went to town with all manner of fritters, salads, soups and a batch or two of relish, while Dad grilled away on the splendidly eccentric barbecue he’d made (from half a 44-gallon drum cut lengthways).
Now history is about to repeat itself. For the first time, the sweetcorn I have stubbornly planted every year – and lost – has somehow defied northern Southland’s notorious spring and summer frosts. Soon we too will be harvesting cobs by the dozen.
Everyone has their favourite way of cooking corn-on-the-cob, be it boiling, steaming, roasting or grilling. Grilled over charcoal does it for me, but since kettle-type barbies are way too pernickety, here is a method that is almost as good.
Simmer stripped cobs for five minutes, drain, brush with oil then place on the gas barbecue grill over a lowish flame. Turn the cobs four times to cook all sides (about two minutes a side). For maximum enjoyment (and mess), serve with butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper and get stuck in!
To make a delicious soup, cook the kernels scraped from two cobs in half a litre of chicken stock. Puree briefly (it shouldn’t be too smooth). Fry a finely chopped small onion until soft in a tablespoon of butter, stir in a tablespoon of flour and gradually add, stirring constantly, half a litre of warm milk. Gently simmer the bechamel sauce, still stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the sweetcorn puree and 2-3 tablespoons of cream and reheat the soup, then season 40g polenta 30g plain flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 3 large eggs, beaten 100ml creme fraiche kernels cut from 2 corn cobs 2 spring onions, halved and finely sliced 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley 1-2 red chillies, deseeded and diced salt and freshly ground black pepper olive oil for frying
Put the polenta, flour and baking powder in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Gradually add the eggs and mix to a smooth batter. Stir in the creme fraiche, sweetcorn, spring onions, parsley and chillies. Add seasoning and stir. Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Drop in well-spaced spoonfuls of the mixture and flatten to make cakes.
Cook until bubbles form on surface – about 3 minutes – then flip and cook other side.
Transfer to a warm oven until all fritters are cooked. with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Just before serving, add half a finely diced red pepper and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Today’s recipe is a far cry from my mother’s fritters, with polenta, creme fraiche and chillies ringing the changes. Good with a dash of maple syrup and bacon.