# June 2020 Challenge - Corn



## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

This month's challenge is corn. As far as I can see this hasn't been chosen before and I'm hoping that corn is available to everyone in some shape or form. For the purposes of this challenge, this includes fresh or frozen corn, popping corn, cornmeal, polenta or even cornflakes - corn in any manifestation, in fact. But I'll let you into a secret: I'm not a fan of corn. I find it too sweet when fresh and as for polenta or grits... well, lets say I need convincing! So I'm looking to be lured into liking corn with some spectacular corn creations.

As usual, here are the traditional rules:

The challenge begins on the 1st of every month. The last entry must be made by the last day of the month.
You may post multiple entries.
All entries must be cooked during the month of the challenge.
If you use a documented recipe, please cite your source.
Entries should include the name of your dish and a picture of the final product. Sharing personal recipes and pictures of the process are not mandatory but extremely helpful.
The winner is chosen by the person who posted the challenge, and is announced after the last day of submissions. The decision is final and falls entirely at the discretion of the challenger.
Submitting an entry makes you eligible to win. If you do not wish to be considered for the win you may still participate in the challenge, but make your wishes known to the challenger.
The winner's bounty includes praise, virtual high-fives, and the responsibility of posting the next month's challenge. That entails choosing a theme, posting a Challenge thread that includes the guidelines, checking in on the submissions regularly during the month, and promptly choosing a winner at the end of the challenge.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Wow! Amazing! Usually near the end of a challenge where there is a chance I could be selected I pick a possible theme. And about a week ago I came up with corn! I was thinking of broadening the scope a bit by including corn syrup* for the dessert lovers, and corn starch. As an example of the latter I was going to offer up deep fried tofu in black bean sauce. No discernible corn in the dish, just the corn starch used to dust the tofu before frying.

On a side note, when my wife Karen and I first met I remember one dinner where I served corn on the cob, and I referred to it as sweet corn. She commented that she always just called it corn, wondered why I added the 'sweet' to it. Well, she grew up in Phoenix, I grew up in the Midwest. As far as she knew the only corn was the stuff you bought in the supermarket that people ate. Being from the midwest I knew there was sweet corn, feed corn, seed corn, ...

Anyway, I'll be mulling over ideas for this ingredient. Looking forward to seeing what people do with polenta, pazole, fried mush, creamed corn, etc.

mjb.

*: REAL corn syrup, extracted from corn kernels, not the chemical concoction extracted from the stalks known as "high fructose corn syrup"


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

Great minds think alike! :emoji_grin:



teamfat said:


> I was thinking of broadening the scope a bit by including corn syrup* for the dessert lovers, and corn starch


Yes - corn in any manifestation so corn syrup and cornstarch (cornflour in UK) are indeed included.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Yay... a favorite of mine, in all its manifestations!


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

The staple food in most of sub saharan Africa is corn, mainly eaten as a coarse flour, sort of resembling polenta.
I'm not fond of it but hey, who am I.
It goes by plenty different names. Here it is Nshima, in Zim: sadza, in South Africa mielie meal, in Kenya: umgali, in Uganda: posho...
I think I'll make something with sweetcorn though


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Teamfat... I’m in a “mixed marriage” too. Me: New England exiled to Southern California. Wife: SoCal with Southern roots. We often get into conversations about “extra words”. I get teased by calling a tie a necktie or glasses, eyeglasses. So I often opt to call them cravat and spectacles. I tease her about calling a pen an ink pen. Leads to a lot of levity. But most difficult is side dishes... me, potatos; her, rice. That’s not a source of levity.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Nice theme! I doubt fresh corn will be in by the end of the month -- it's usually more a mid-July thing here -- but I always have bags of frozen corn on hand. What about cornmeal baking?


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Actually we are getting very good sweet corn here as it's coming from Florida most likely. If the tassels are moist it's a go if they are dry -uh, uh. Interesting Challenge and congrats to @morning glory for the win.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Well shucks. On my way home from work I stopped at the market, they had some 13-15 shrimp for $6.89 a pound. Did a quick, light saute in butter with garlic and crushed red pepper.










Had I known the June challenge theme when I did this, it would have been shrimp and grits, kicking it off with the first entry. Oh well.

mjb.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

chrislehrer said:


> What about cornmeal baking?


Of course - anything with corn in any guise counts. In the UK corn is not used very much, Its either corn on the cob or sweetcorn from a frozen pack used as a side or for the more adventurous, polenta. Cornflour is used in puddings and to thicken sauces and popcorn is quite popular. The USA is streets ahead when it comes to corn.

I've been hearing about something called Hush Puppies... (which to me are a type of shoe).


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Hushpuppies are a deep fried corn meal batter usually with onion in them. One story goes that the old Southern cook would fry a batch and through a few out the window to the noisy dogs saying *"hush up puppies".*

A good Hushpuppy is a thing of beauty like crispy fried Okra . . . oh yeah.


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

Teamfat, when I was a young pup we grew field corn. We would pick it very young and boil it with a little sugar in the water to make cheater sweet corn on the cob. 

My in-laws say 'hose pipe" instead of just hose, I've adopted it because it is fun to say. 

The shrimp are running right now here on the coast, shrimp and grits sounds like a good plan for dinner one night this week.

Brian Shaw - We are also a mixed marriage and have two kinds of mayo in the house as a result.


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

Great challenge, Morning Glory. 

To quote Brak 

"I like cornflakes, corndogs
I like corn bread and cornstarch
I like the band Korn and popcorn,
I like all kinds of corn ALL KINDS OF CORN!"


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

teamfat said:


> Well shucks.


👍


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

fatcook said:


> when I was a young pup we grew field corn. We would pick it very young and boil it with a little sugar in the water to make cheater sweet corn on the cob.


We would cook it in milk and butter for the same reason, that and to make it more tender.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

fatcook said:


> Brian Shaw - We are also a mixed marriage and have two kinds of mayo in the house as a result.


So you and your wife duke it out over mayo?

mjb.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Perfect choice! Looking forward to it very much. Corn is not really eaten in my country, except as grilled on the cob and frozen corn in salads and the like. Shrimp and grits? Never heard of it, but sounds amazing! So I'm already learning new things.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

fatcook said:


> My in-laws say 'hose pipe" instead of just hose


I always say hose pipe. Hose, of course, brings us back to socks. :emoji_grin:



fatcook said:


> The shrimp are running right now here on the coast, shrimp and grits sounds like a good plan for dinner one night this week.


I want to know all about grits and I love shrimps (I call them prawns).



slayertplsko said:


> Perfect choice! Looking forward to it very much. Corn is not really eaten in my country, except as grilled on the cob and frozen corn in salads and the like. Shrimp and grits? Never heard of it, but sounds amazing! So I'm already learning new things.


Same here really. I look forward to a Slovakian take on corn @slayertplsko.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

It's looking like I need to do another dish like this ASAP.










That's a mess of grits topped with a poached egg, some highly seasoned shrimp, not quite blackened, and some breakfast pork sausage.

Search Youtube for shrimp and grits and you'll get an idea of just how varied and creative the combination can be. Hmm, maybe I'll try a smothered etouffee style.


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## Johann_cooks (May 20, 2019)

teamfat said:


> *: REAL corn syrup, extracted from corn kernels, not the chemical concoction extracted from the stalks known as "high fructose corn syrup"


Are you referring to something like this: 
https://thefrugalchicken.com/how-to-make-corn-syrup/
If not, please post this! I've never even thought about this, but I love homemade from scratch recipes, especially traditional time-consuming things most people don't make anymore.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Been shucking Georgia corn here at the store for a few weeks now.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

A reminder that this is a broad canvas and that any corn product used will count. That includes corn starch, polenta, popcorn, cornflakes etc.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

*Stuffed peppers in tomato sauce, corn polenta with sour cream*










My first entry this month takes us into the lands of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and utilises field corn in the form of cornmeal. My country, Slovakia, was part of that empire until 1918, when the first Czechoslovak Republic was formed. This naturally means that for centuries many, many dishes travelled freely from one corner of the monarchy to another. Thus, schnitzels spread all over the place from Vienna, sauerkraut and pork stew spread all over the place from Szeged, a town in southern Hungary, and so on. Stuffed peppers in tomato sauce is another of those timeless Austro-Hungarian classics which can be found anywhere from Prague to Bucharest and all the way down to Beograd or so. There are two greatest historical culinary powers which have influenced the cooking traditions of Central Europe - France and Ottoman Empire, and this one most probably came with the Ottomans, since the same general concept also exist in Turkey and the dish is very much Anatolian/Middle Eastern in its fundamental architecture. Of course, my Austro-Hungarian interpretation differs from the usual Turkish recipe in that the cooking fat is lard, as is traditional in this part of Europe, and the spices are toned down, although I did keep a hint of clove and cinnamon, so that we know where the dish originates. Neither are unheard of here historically, especially in tomato sauces, but of course the amounts are minimal.

The stuffing is simple: raw minced beef and rice (soak for 5 minutes in hot water, drain), some onion and garlic sautéed in lard, chopped parsley and dill, salt and black pepper, plus more lard if the meat seems to lean and the stuffing too dry. The peppers are stuffed with this and then put in a greased deep oven tray and roasted in a medium oven.
The sauce: I took 1,5 kg of good tomatoes (local, they are beginning to be in season around here), cut them into large pieces. Then I melted some lard in a large pan, added about 7 allspice berries, some black peppercorns, a clove, and some chopped garlic, sautéed all that together for a while. Then the tomatoes with some sweet paprika and 1/4 tsp cinnamon or so. When they're soft, purée them and pass through a sieve. Add the sauce to the peppers and finish cooking in the oven.

The polenta is with sour cream added at the end instead of the Italian way consisting on butter and parmesan, plus I garnished it with some beech-smoked bacon to plant it firmly in the Carpathian Mountains. Because of the polenta and the herbs in the stuffing, it's more from the Romanian part of that mountain range that its Slovak part, as Slovaks tend to make it without herbs and eat it with sliced steamed dumpling (sort of like the Chinese bao). But I prefer polenta here.

Delicious and incredibly filling, so now I'm stuffed too.


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## loomchick (Jun 11, 2013)

Would caramel corn be too much of a stretch?


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

loomchick said:


> Would caramel corn be too much of a stretch?


Nope. It's corn. That's what I had in mind!


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## loomchick (Jun 11, 2013)

brianshaw said:


> Nope. It's corn. That's what I had in mind!


This could be an interesting challenge . . . the latitude for interpretation is huge!


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I'll be there soon....
Just needed to finish my green beans.
A 750 gr bag is quite a lot for a single person.....


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I'll start off by relating another story regarding the different backgrounds my wife and I have, she being born and raised in a big city, Phoenix, me from rural southwest Michigan. We often go to Orange County, California to celebrate Christmas with her family and my sister. We stay at this place in Lake Forest that offers a hot breakfast as part of the deal. The usual overcooked, dry rubbery scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, cook your own waffle irons, in truth it isn't as bad as you might think. But the eggs need a LOT of hot sauce.

One year we go down to eat, and instead of a meat with the eggs there are these golden brown fish stick type things. I grab one, take a bite, pile a stack on my plate, grab some butter and pancake syrup and start chowing down. Karen and her family ask about what it is I am eating, happy as a puppy with two tails, and I just say 'try it'. They do, but can't figure out what it is.

It was plain old, down home fried cornmeal mush, not what I was expecting to find in So Cal.

*The Players*

Of course to make cornmeal mush, you need cornmeal.










Usually it is made with yellow cornmeal, but white is what I had. And a supporting cast to make a complete breakfast.










I was thinking of making something related, scrapple. It involves cornmeal, as well as scraps of pork. I may still make some scrapple, if I get the ambition to track down a whole, raw pig's head. But for now, I figured a slice or two of Spam would have to fill in.

*The Process*

First off, get 3 quarts of water to boiling. Whisk a cup of cornmeal with a cup of milk and a teaspoon or so of salt.










Once the water is boiling, slowly pour in the cornmeal mixture, whisking constantly. Let it cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is a nice, thick consistency.










Once the desired state of doneness is achieved, pour it into a dish, let it sit out and cool to room temp before covering and stashing in the fridge for at least overnight.










When ready to fry it up, get a griddle or cast iron pan on the stove, medium heat. Melt some butter and fry up a couple squares.










Getting worried here, the mush started falling apart. I thought it has cooked long enough and had been properly chilled to set into solid slices, but I guess I was wrong. But I carried on.










I love this little 5" skillet, perfect for frying up a pair of eggs.

*The Product*

Okay, so the eggs are done, Spam is browned a bit, on to the plate.










The mush is NOT what I had in mind. What little bits of crispy brown there are were perfect, but overall disappointing. Not exaclty a challenge winning dish.

But wait, there's more!

mjb.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Okay, so I scurry off and lick my wounds, wondering about the mush failure. I was thinking that maybe the griddle was not hot enough, I was worried about burning the butter. So I try a couple more pieces the next day. I turn up the heat on the griddle, and instead of butter try out a new toy that arrived in the mail that day.










Definitely on the way to a better end result.










Nice, brown crispy skin and a smooth, soft interior. But still not quite right.

So, another attempt, a different approach.










I cut the squares of mush, dust them in cornstarch, and deep fry.










Okay, now we're talking!










The edges are perfect, the top side not quite the same. Still the best batch yet, third time's a charm, I guess.

If I were proficient with image manipulation software like PhotoShop, I would have stuck one of these tasty, crunchy little gems into the picture of the final plating and claimed I did it right the first time. Oh well, the perils of being honest.

These got a big dab of butter and a bath of maple syrup, and I consumed them quickly.

Good stuff!

mjb.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I made a corn, black bean and Rotel tomatoes salsa the other day. We had it with pork chops and a fried mashed potato cake - yum!!









Fast forward to tonight - leftover Pork Sloppy Joe on a potato roll with this salsa and some pickled jalapenos - oh yeah!!









I also made some mini corn muffins today. I didn't have any milk so I used heavy cream cut with apple juice and added vanilla extract. Served with macerated strawberries and black berry coolis and some whipped cream as well.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

slayertplsko said:


> Delicious and incredibly filling, so now I'm stuffed too.


I love the background you supplied to the dish. I reckon the polenta with sour cream and smoked bacon is a great combination with the plump stuffed peppers.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

teamfat said:


> I may still make some scrapple, if I get the ambition to track down a whole, raw pig's head. But for now, I figured a slice or two of Spam would have to fill in.


This made me giggle!



teamfat said:


> The edges are perfect, the top side not quite the same. Still the best batch yet, third time's a charm, I guess.


The final results looks lovely and light and crispy. 10 out of 10 for perseverance! I'd probably have given up at first attempt.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

loomchick said:


> Would caramel corn be too much of a stretch?


Anything with corn of any type counts.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

mike9 said:


> Fast forward to tonight - leftover Pork Sloppy Joe on a potato roll with this salsa and some pickled jalapenos - oh yeah!!


Your salsa is very attractive - and very attractive indeed with pickled jalapeños added. I always think that the sweetness of corn needs something sharp/acidic (and preferably spicy) to counterbalance it.



mike9 said:


> I also made some mini corn muffins today.


They make a pretty dessert and nicely balanced with the berries.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_Orecchiette w/ Roasted Corn Pesto* & Prosciutto** Crisps

This is an Italian dish. I made it for a Mexican family. Therein I made some simple swaps. I used cotija cheese* for parmesan and Serrano-ham** for the prosciutto. I also added lime zest and juice. _

*




























































*

[JUSTIFY]I roasted the corn in the pan adding the juice and zest of 1/2 a lime. 2/3 of the corn went into the pesto w/ the other half lime juice. I wanted fresh corn but it's not so available near me. The ham was sizzled until crisp in the medium-hot pan. It may look exactly like prosciutto ... but the cheapest turned out $6/lb more than the most-expensive prosciutto de Parma. In the end ... I couldn't tell the difference. The pesto is general basic standard pesto. I actually used pine-nuts this time instead of pecans. That won't ever happen again. I halved the tomatoes and ran them through the grease to save that great flavor. The pasta was cooked 80% and added to the ingredients w/ enough pasta water to loosen everything up in the pan to finish cooking. I have lately fallen in love w/ bronze die-cut pasta. The dish was dressed at the table w/ a drizzle of oil, grated cheese and lime zest; the crisp was also added. This dish was served w/ a cold red sangria. _... There were NO left-overs. _[/JUSTIFY]

_"... We work in kitchens. ... It ain'te rocket surgery."._​


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

We've had a hankerin' for Seafood Salad so I made some. 1/2lb. of Argentinian Shrimp, 1/2lb. of Bay Scallops, 3oz. of Organic Surimi, fresh mayonnaise, Jalapeno and celery, roast red peppers and toasted fresh corn. I made the mayonnaise then pan seared the shrimp and scallops then chilled while I got the veg ingredients together. After assembly it went into toasted New England rolls and served with salad and libation of choice - a real taste of Summer.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

mike9 said:


> Hushpuppies are a deep fried corn meal batter usually with onion in them. One story goes that the old Southern cook would fry a batch and through a few out the window to the noisy dogs saying *"hush up puppies".*
> 
> A good Hushpuppy is a thing of beauty like crispy fried Okra . . . oh yeah.


You stole my heart with that, a thing of beauty indeed. Gosh sometimes I hate living in NYC, they have an affinity for all the globe's foods here.... except southern food. I told my husband I was going to make fried fish and hushpuppies last week and he looked at me like I'm cray cray.

I also remember a time when we had a backyard BBQ and I made NC style pulled pork, baked beans, and slaw and people were just sooooo confused. What the heck?
Anyway I love corn almost as much as I love potatoes so I'll think of something.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

Iceman said:


> _Orecchiette w/ Roasted Corn Pesto* & Prosciutto** Crisps
> 
> This is an Italian dish. I made it for a Mexican family. Therein I made some simple swaps. I used cotija cheese* for parmesan and Serrano-ham** for the prosciutto. I also added lime zest and juice. _
> 
> ...


Great step by step photos here. And you know, I've never come across an Italian corn recipe let alone a Mexican twist on it. Its a very 'original' recipe in my book.

Pesto is usually made with pine nuts - are you saying you prefer pecans in general for pesto or for this particular recipe?


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

mike9 said:


> We've had a hankerin' for Seafood Salad so I made some. 1/2lb. of Argentinian Shrimp, 1/2lb. of Bay Scallops, 3oz. of Organic Surimi, fresh mayonnaise, Jalapeno and celery, roast red peppers and toasted fresh corn. I made the mayonnaise then pan seared the shrimp and scallops then chilled while I got the veg ingredients together. After assembly it went into toasted New England rolls and served with salad and libation of choice - a real taste of Summer.


What a pretty photo - a lovely summery salad!


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

[JUSTIFY]The simple answer,* morning glory*, is _*$$$*_. I prefer pecans all the time. ... $7 for the small container of pine nuts in the pic vs. $3 for a 1lb. bag of chopped pecans. I don't think you really taste the mild flavor of the pine nuts, even though I toasted them _(I didn't get a pic or include that in the steps because I just forgot)_, because of the big flavors of the pesto ingredients. I actually think you can taste pecans. ... _YMMV though._[/JUSTIFY]

_"... We work in kitchens. ... It ain'te rocket surgery."._​


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I agree - as much as I would like to use Pine Nuts I simply can't afford them. I made garlic scape pesto with dry roasted sunflower seeds. I tested them and had no reaction to they are a new go to for me. I'm going to try Pepitas sometime just to see if they make me bubble, or not.


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## harpua (May 4, 2005)

Coarse polenta with gratuitous poached egg and parmesan. Delicious!

Are we tired of looking at runny yolks yet?


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I had two ears of corn leftover from the weekend - Hmmmm . . . what to do? Well I have onions and Jalapeno peppers, had some okra in the freezer and fire roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Okra, Tomatoes and Corn of course!!! Started with bacon then added my veg, thyme and fresh parsley and well it's just like I remember my grandma making. Served with crispy roast chicken and some very crispy russet potato.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

harpua said:


> Are we tired of looking at runny yolks yet?


Never!


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

harpua said:


> View attachment 68021
> 
> Coarse polenta with gratuitous poached egg and parmesan. Delicious!
> 
> Are we tired of looking at runny yolks yet?


I love the simplicity here.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

mike9 said:


> I had two ears of corn leftover from the weekend - Hmmmm . . . what to do? Well I have onions and Jalapeno peppers, had some okra in the freezer and fire roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Okra, Tomatoes and Corn of course!!! Started with bacon then added my veg, thyme and fresh parsley and well it's just like I remember my grandma making. Served with crispy roast chicken and some very crispy russet potato.


Looks good - I'm a fan of okra though some aren't. I hope you put that jalapēno in.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_Pasta Corn Carbonara w/ Lobster and Crab_.

Interesting dish here with _NO_ eggs. ... The creaminess of the corn makes the carbonara.































































I would have loved to use fresh corn, but it's just not available here yet. I used fresh-frozen white sweet corn and a small can of creamed corn. I blitzed it up in the food pro until it was really creamy. The original recipe calls for it to be strained through a sieve, but I didn't want to and all of my dishes are _"homey"_. The pasta choice was _"bow-ties"_. This time I used pancetta. I sizzled it up then added a nob of butter along with the minced shallot and garlic. I then sizzled that all up together. Almost everyone goes in the boat. The parsley is condimentary ... kinda like the celery salt on a hot-dog. The juice of the lemon that gave up that zest is also in the mix along with the chopped scallions. I didn't think much pasta water would be needed ... but it took almost two(2) cups for a nice creamy sauce. It's good to fold everything together gently to save the crab and lobster from getting beat into pulp. The _Red Lobster_ roll on the side is a corporate proprietary recipe ... so I can't tell you. ... Just follow the directions on the box and you'll be fine. It's served with a white wine, a Torrontés varietal. I do have white wine glasses but I went with the fabled _"blue-tape"_ glass for *french fries. *I almost went with more of the prosciutto crisps ... but overkill only goes so far. ... I hope you like this dish. 

_"... We work in kitchens. ... It ain'te rocket surgery."._​


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

*Stuffed chard leaves with toasted sweet corn - cornbread with sardines - roasted aubergine salad with corn and green peppers
*







*
*
This month's topic is just amaizeingly inspiring for me (I couldn't resist the pun, haha). Immediately as it was announced, I thought of Turkish Black Sea coast and this is precisely the place where today's dishes will come from. It came in handy, in fact, as I had already been planning to make some basturma for some time and this gave me the impetus to actually do it. Basturma is dried beef in a spice crust (photo below) and hails from the Caucasus and Anatolia. So I set off to making it and now it's ready to be put to use.

The eastern Black Sea region of Turkey is quite different from what one usually thinks of when one thinks of Turkey, it's very heavy on corn, fresh anchovies, leafy greens and hazelnuts. Yesterday I toasted some sweet corn on the cob in the oven and used those to make corn meal for the bread (see below), reserving some kernels for the chard stuffing. So the chard is stuffed with basturma, toasted sweet corn, toasted hazelnuts, herbs and cheese. The cornbread is made with the sweet corn meal plus some extra regular corn meal, fresh chopped sardine fillets (I couldn't find anchovies), herbs, tomatoes and jalapenos. The salad is just roasted aubergine, green peppers, boiled corn, parsley and dill. I really liked the aubergine-corn contrast. Some minted and iced ayran to drink with it.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

My dinner the other night. Pretty simple, hardly a challenge winning dish, but it is something I'd thought we'd see more of this month.










A 20 ounce ribeye and a couple ears of corn. The steak was salted about 10 hours before cooking, set uncovered in the fridge. Sous vide at 124F for just over an hour with a little garlic powder added. While the steak was lounging in the culinary hot tub, the corn went into cold, moderately salted water to soak for about an hour.

Steak was taken out of the bag, set on a rack to dry the surface a bit. Got some charcoal going. Corn went on first.










It went about 6 - 7 minutes over direct heat, flipped for another 6 minutes, then off to the indirect side of the grill. Steak went over the coals for a couple minutes.










After I put the steak on, I put the lid on the grill and dashed into the kitchen to get the longer tongs, those coals ( Royal Oak lump ) were HOT! I didn't quite get the lid properly seated, the gap let too much air in and allowed a major flare up. Got a little more char than I was looking for.

But that didn't stop me.










Plated the steak, put some pepper on it. Buttered the corn generously, also got some pepper and dusted with white cheddar popcorn salt. I swear that when I peeked under the husks when selecting the corn the kernels were nice and uniform. No big deal, still a very tasty meal.

I briefly, very briefly, considered something like this:










I do hope to get a corn dish done and posted before the deadline, one that shows more skill and cooking ability than this simple corn on the cob. We shall see.

mjb.


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

^^^ That is my favorite way to eat corn, except we husk the first for char on the kernels. And I love the paint trays of butter - genius!!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

fatcook said:


> ^^^ That is my favorite way to eat corn, except we husk the first for char on the kernels. And I love the paint trays of butter - genius!!


It's just a matter of preference. Leaving the waterlogged husks on at the start basically steams the corn giving it a slightly softer, creamier texture. I often do the initial cook with the husks on, pull them off and peel it, then back on for a quick char.

There have been some seriously good looking entries so far this month. Here in Salt Lake still have 12 hours to go, and I think I have everything I need for one last offering.

mjb.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Better late than never! 

My entry for this month's challenge is a corn-based dish that I fell in love with when I was in New Orleans. Its called Maque choux. It roots are believed to have come from both Creole and Native American traditions and there is some debate over what was in the original recipe. Some say cream, which probably came from more of a French influence, while others say chicken stock is used for the braising liquid while others say that bacon fat is all that's needed. My version is more on the French/Creole side and contains both the bacon fat and cream.

Warning! This is not a heart healthy dish! lol!

What you will need (serves 4):

- 4 ears fresh corn (canned or frozen will work and ymmv), kernels removed from the cob - (be sure not to lose the white liquid)
- 4-6 slices thick cut smoked bacon, diced
- 2 Jalapeno peppers, diced, seeds and ribs removed
- 3 small sweet colored peppers, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk (if using whole milk, add beurre manie to thicken slightly)
- 1/2 - 1 cup shredded crab or lobster meat

To prep the corn, use a very sharp knife and only remove the crowns from the corn kernels. Turn the knife over and scrape the top of the blade down the cobb to remove the balance of the corn kernels. This leaves the hulls attached to the cob and improves the overall quality of the final product.

In a heavy skillet, fry the bacon until the it turns crispy and the fat renders. Strain out the bacon and reserve. Add the onion, garlic, shallot and jalapeno and saute in the rendered fat over low to medium heat until tender. Season with fresh ground black pepper. Once the onion and jalapenos are tender, add the sweet peppers and saute until they become tender as well. Add the corn, crab or lobster meat and reserved bacon until the corn begins to just turn tender. Add the cream or milk, partially cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the corn is soft. The liquid will reduce and thicken.

Garnish with fresh chopped Cilantro or Parsley and a sprinkle of Cayenne.

Left over tip: Add the leftovers to a pot of chicken stock/broth, add heavy cream and 2 diced potatoes for a very good chowder like soup. When the potatoes are soft, mash a few against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir. This goes beautifully with toasted garlic baguette.

Cheers!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Okay, one more dish using corn in a couple of ways. Well three, counting corn oil.

*The Players*










The two main uses of corn are the white corn meal flour for the arepas and the somewhat uncommon huitlacoche, or corn fungus, Mexican truffle, corn smut, corn truffle, corn mushroom. It is corn that has been infected with a certain type of fungus which makes it look terrible, but taste wonderful. It tastes like mushroom flavored corn, or corn flavored mushroom, whichever way you want to look at it.










Also used a Mexican onion and some manzano chilies, or apple peppers as they are sometimes called.

*The Process*

First off the the corn flour was slowly added to a couple cups of warm, salted water. Mixed by hand until a soft dough formed.










Once a nice smooth ball of dough was done, it was covered with a damp paper towel and left to hydrate for a while, about half an hour or so while the filling was made.

The onion and the chilies were diced and sauteed in a pan with some corn oil, seasoned with Mexican oregano and a bit of salt. Once those veggies were softened the huitlacoche was added.










Trust me, it tastes better than it looks!

The dough was formed into balls about the size of a lemon, then flattened into patties. These were deep fried in corn oil at 350F.










On the way to golden brown and delicious!

*The Product*

Once cool enough to handle, cut a patty almost in half and filled it with the corn truffle mixture. Cherry tomatoes and avocado on the side.










That deep fried arepa, which is not the traditional way of cooking them, was very similar to the deep fried corn meal mush I posted earlier. Nice crispy brown outside, soft and smooth inside. The filling was good, it has been a while since I used manzano peppers, they were hotter than I remember, I had earlier thought of using some ground pork as part of the filling, but decided to go strictly vegetable. And I ended up with a pretty tasty sandwich!

Of course, needed to wash it down with something.










Victoria is a nice, light amber Mexican lager in the Vienna style, paired well with the spicy corn truffle arepa.

mjb.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who entered this month. This challenge has given me a lot to think about and I've certainly learned a lot of new things to do with corn.

Here's my summary of the highlights with links to the entries:

@teamfat, after some trial and error came up with some great looking crispy fried corn mush. Top marks for perseverance here. It looks delicious.

@teamfat's final entry cleverly used corn in three ways in deep fried deep fried arepa stuffed with a corn and huitlacoche. I would really love to try this recipe. Coincidentally I recently ordered some huitlacoche which is not easy to find here and so I was pleased to see this way to use it.

@slayertplsko gave us a Slovakian take on polenta, with sour cream added at the end instead of butter and parmesan, and garnished it with some beech-smoked bacon. I loved the background/history of this. It was a lovely accompaniment to some plumptious stuffed peppers.

@slayertplsko also entered a fascinating dish of stuffed chard leaves with toasted sweet corn - cornbread with sardines - roasted aubergine salad with corn and green peppers. This dish from the Turkish Black Sea coast surprised me at each turn, with corn running through every element in combination with unexpected ingredients. Once again an informative background to the dish was included - plus the basturma was home-made.

@mike9 entered Corn, black bean and Rotel tomatoes salsa . This was a lovely colourful salsa. For dessert there were some very pretty mini corn muffins with berries. @mike9 also entered Okra, Tomatoes and Corn which I liked, as I'm a great fan of okra. Finally there was a very pretty summery seafood salad. I'm now craving a seafood salad!

@Iceman entered a Mexican Italian fusion dish: Orecchiette with Roasted Corn Pesto & Prosciutto Crisps with great step by step photos here and it looked delicious. A very 'original' recipe in my book.

Also a Pasta Corn Carbonara with Lobster and Crab. Once again some excellent step by step photos. This was a clever take on carbonara using corn in stead of eggs as the creamy element - an inventive dish. Top marks for originality @Iceman!

@harpua entered Coarse polenta with poached egg and parmesan and a lovely runny yolk! And no, I'll never tired of runny yolks!

@sgsvirgil made a delicious looking Maque choux. Coincidentally I've been chatting about Maque choux on another forum so it was great to see it being made here. I've only recently heard of this dish and its on my 'must do' list, particularly as I love seafood.

My final verdict:

Close run between @Iceman and @slayertplsko whose dishes both delighted and surprised me. In the end I'm choosing @slayertplsko as this month's winner because of the unexpected flavour combinations based on knowledge of traditional cuisine - really excellent work.

It over to you @slayertplsko to choose the next theme.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Congrats to @slayertplsko - looking forward to your challenge.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Yes, some great looking entries indeed. I was leaning towards @Iceman but you made a good choice. And I too never tire of runny yolks.

Well done, folks!

mjb.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Indeed! Very well done. Congrats to @slayertplsko !!


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Congratulations!
Lots of nice dishes from everyone though


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_Good work_ *slayertplsko*. _Nice job._


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Wow! Thanks everyone for the kind words and to morning glory for picking my entries. Also, congratulations to all of you, there were many great posts this month, the choice must have been tough. 

I will post the new challenge as soon as possible.


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