Summer Corn Recipes

In the summer, fresh corn is always a blessing. Not just because it's delicious, which it is, but also because it's cheap. SUPER CHEAP. Right now, my grocery store has it on sale for about 30 cents an ear. So as a result, I'm finding anything and everything that I can put corn into or on the side of.

Now, everyone likes a good ear of corn, roasted or boiled, with butter and salt. Certainly, my son would never turn that down, but there's only but so many nights you can go eating ears of corn before it's time to branch out.

Here are some of my favorite corn recipes this season:

Jalapeno Corn Bread
I'm not a baker, not even a little, so this isn't so much a recipe as it is a semi-homemade modification.
I love the Jiffy Cornbread Mix, and it's never more than $1/box at the store. To fancy it up a bit though, use two boxes of cornbread mix and add the required number of eggs and two seeded and minced jalapenos. 

Instead of adding all the milk, add one small can of evaporated milk and the kernels of 1-2 ears of corn to the batter instead. You may have to loosen it up with a few splashes of regular milk to get it to a thick batter consistency, but don't overdo it. As the fresh corn cooks, it will release some moisture into the bread.

Follow the directions for baking on the box - pour it in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean. I also suggest taking several large pats of butter and letting them soak into the top of the bread once it comes out of the oven...commence drooling now.


Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1 can of black beans (drained, thoroughly rinsed, and allowed to dry a bit)
1-2 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper - small dice
1 jalepeno - seeded and minced (unless you like heat, in which case, leave the seeds in)
Large pinch of fresh cilantro - chopped
1 lime
1 T. olive oil or vegetable/canola oil
Salt, Pepper, Cumin

Blanch the corn for a few minutes in boiling salted water. You're not trying to cook it through, just knock some of the "raw" flavor out of it. Remove it to a ice water bath and shock it to cool. Cut the kernels off of the ears.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro. Zest the lime and add it to the bowl, then juice it and add the juice it. If it's particularly juicy, you may want to start with just the juice from one half and adjust later to taste. Add a large pinch of kosher salt, several grinds of pepper, the oil, and about 1/2 t. of cumin.

Toss it together, taste and adjust the seasonings as you like. It is best once it's had an hour or so to marinade and chill in the refrigerator.

This goes great over light fish like garlic broiled tilapia or lime marinated chicken breast.


Simply Amazing Corn Chowder

Vegetable/Canola Oil
1 stalk celery - small dice
2 carrots - small dice
1 red bell pepper - small dice
1 onion - small dice
2 cloves of garlic - minced
6 small or 3 large potatoes (I like yukon gold because you don't have to peel them) - large dice
Salt & pepper
1/2 t. each coriander & thyme 2 "tubs" of condensed chicken or vege stock - I like the Knorr brand, but to each their own
       w/ 5 cups of water (the condensed stock cups make 3 cups of stock each, but by using 2 tubs and  only 5 cups of water, you intensify the flavor. You could also just do "stock in a box," but it's more expensive in the long run.)
Kernels from about 6 ears of corn
1/2 c. heavy cream

Saute all of the veges (except the potatoes and corn) in oil over medium-high heat until softened.  Add the potatoes, a very large pinch of salt and fresh pepper, the coriander and thyme, and the tubs of condensed stock (if you are using liquid stock, don't add it yet). Stir to combine everything and distribute the seasonings. Let the potatoes cook down a bit, though they will not soften completely. Now add the water (or fresh stock) and let it come to a low boil. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are done through.  Pull the pot off of the heat and taste test. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the corn kernels, stir to combine, and then recover and let the pot sit on the hot eye for several minutes. You don't need to bring it back to a boil, the heat of the soup is enough to cook the corn through on its own.

After about ten minutes, add the heavy cream, stirring to make sure that it doesn't overheat. From this point on, you cannot bring it back to a boil - even to reheat it - or the soup will "break" (the fat from the cream will separate and make ugly little white globs in your soup). If you do need to reheat it, do so gently over low to medium heat and stirring constantly.

Serve with crusty bread for dipping!