The endless bounty of corn cobs

Few vegetables evoke sunny summer days more than crisp, sweet corn on the cob.

Words: Jenny Garing

Clearing out my kitchen drawers the other day, I came across a little box filled with tiny two-pronged forks. Memories of summer corn came rushing back from my childhood – me and my family would stick a tiny fork into each end of a cob so that we could pick up the piping hot corn without burning our fingers, and gnaw off the kernels with hot butter dripping down our chins.

While I haven’t seen or used those little forks in years – nowadays we tend to just use our fingers and have paper towels on standby – corn is still a favourite of mine, especially during summer.

It’s easy to grow and very easy to prepare. Corn makes a great addition to the grill for easy summer dinners and entertaining. BBQ or grilled corn cobs can be done “naked”, with the shucked corn oiled and then put straight onto the BBQ. Or they can be cooked in the husk itself. Grilling in the husk has the advantage of “steaming” the kernels inside the husk and trapping in the flavourings you have added, while also picking up a slight scent of the charred husk as well.

You want to use corn cobs immediately after picking as the sugars start to turn to starch quickly. The fresher the better for BBQ or grilled corn-on-the-cob recipes. If your cobs have dried after too long in the fridge, then boil them first to plump up the kernels again before throwing on the BBQ, or slicing off the kernels to use in salads etc.

To prepare, pull the husks right back to the end but still attached to the cob.

Pull off the silks or threads from the corn cob. Smear your flavouring over the kernels and then pull the husks back onto the cob. It doesn’t matter if some bits of corn show through.

If you don’t have the husks you can wrap the shucked corn cobs in foil with the flavourings trapped inside. It will still keep the flavours trapped on the steaming corn kernels (even better than with slightly leaky husks) but you won’t get the charred aroma. If I am using a liquid flavouring like soy sauce, miso and butter, I use the foil method to keep the sauce in with the corn.

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Some tried and true flavour combinations to add to the foil or husk grilled corn include:

• Butter and soy sauce
• Parmesan, anchovies and lemon juice
• Cumin, chilli flakes and paprika with lime juice
• Olive oil, oregano and garlic
• Yoghurt, feta, red onion and oregano
• Basil pesto
• Avocado mixed with wasabi and lemon
• Harissa and sour cream mixed together

Unsurprisingly, there are many South American dishes that feature corn. South America is the birthplace of corn; Peru alone has over 55 different varieties. Corn, maize and other members of the family are a staple food in the Americas and form the base of many meals, such as tortillas or arepas. But corn is also made into jellies for dessert, fermented and unfermented drinks, stews, cakes and salads.

Peruvian Sarsa Salad is a mix of cooked corn kernels, a can of lima beans, freshly sliced radishes, red capsicum and some red onion. It’s topped with fresh mint and coriander with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing, garnished with crumbled feta cheese – summer on a plate! Or at the end of summer, to use up less than fresh corn cobs, make a fresh corn polenta mix to serve under fish or chicken. Blitz fresh corn kernels in a food processor and then cook the mix in a pan with butter, parmesan, salt and water. It’s a great base for any kind of meat, bean or lentil dish.

Other easy recipes that use corn kernels include: Chinese sweetcorn and chicken soup, American corn chowder, corn fritters – the great kiwi café brunch menu item – and American style creamed corn. For something different, try a makai paka – Kenyan dish of corn cooked in coconut cream and spices for an easy tasty midweek meal.

Maque Choux

A traditional side dish from Louisiana, it was supposedly taught to the French settlers by the Choctaw Native Americans. The French added the cream!

Serves 6-8 as a side.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Easy to make and so colourful, this salad is nutritious and packed with flavour. I found it to be very popular at the Ground Deli and the Lyttelton Farmers’ Market. Once you have chopped all the vegetables, it’s very quick to put together. You can make it a few hours or even a day ahead if you like, but leave out the mint and coriander until just before serving.

Serves: 6, as a side.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp salt
fresh grind of black pepper

Put all ingredients together in a screw top jar and shake well. Store unused dressing in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD

1 can black beans, drained
2 cobs corn, boiled then kernels sliced off
1 small red onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp mint, chopped
3 tbsp coriander, chopped
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 capsicum – any colour, diced
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 avocado, diced

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Toss lightly with salad dressing and serve. This makes a large salad. Place leftovers in a sealed container in fridge. I think the salad is even better the next day.

Spent Corn Cobs

Spent corn cobs are great for all sorts of other dishes, including corn cob ice cream and umami-rich stock for soups, gumbos and risottos, or to cook grains such as rice, quinoa or polenta. You can also use the cobs instead of wood chips for smoking meat.

Corn Cob Stock

Once you have taken the kernels off the cob for another dish, use a spoon to scrape all the mushy pulp and milk out of the cob. The milk, scrapings and cob itself are starchy and rich, and make a powerful flavour enhancer in soups and stocks. To make the stock, put the cobs, scrapings and milk in a pot with any other vegetable trimmings you have. You can add chicken bones too if you want. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for an hour. Turn off the heat, leave to steep until cool, then strain and refrigerate. Use within a week.

Corn Cob Ice Cream

This recipe is based on one by Tom Hunt from The Guardian. Because corn is naturally sweet, it makes a great dessert or cake ingredient. The Peruvians eat a corn cake called Pastel de Choclo that has raisins and star anise in it. Delicious with a coffee for breakfast or morning tea, this ice cream also includes dried fruit and spices.

Makes: 600ml
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes plus cooling time

INGREDIENTS

3 corn cobs, kernels shaved off and saved for another meal
250ml cream
200ml whole milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
25g golden caster (or other unrefined) sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ cup currants

METHOD

Scrape the pulp and milk from the spent corn cobs into a heavy-based pan. Cut the cobs into pieces and add them, too, along with the cream and whole milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the vanilla essence. Whisk the eggs, and sugar for five minutes, until very thick. Strain the hot corn milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly, then return the mix to the pan on a very low heat. Add the spices and cook, stirring, for a few minutes to thicken. Strain into a container and leave to cool. Add the currants and mix in. Churn in an ice cream machine, or freeze over several hours, whisking every two hours, until set. Serve with some caramel popcorn!

This article first appeared in NZ Lifestyle Block Magazine.