Tastes Like Summer
It's corn's high season, so grab a few ears and get cooking.
Though I loved living and eating in Paris, there were several things I missed from home: Big glasses of iced coffee, my gigantic washer and dryer, and fresh corn. The French, you see, are not keen on corn; the whole time I was there, I saw only a few waterlogged kernels, clearly straight from a can, strewn forlornly across appetizer salads in cheap cafes.
My first summer back, I filled up on corn on the cob and made both succotash and maque choux, corn dishes of Native American and Cajun heritage, respectively. At its most basic, succotash is a mixture of corn and lima beans, usually flavored with a little bacon or salt pork. It's an easy recipe to tailor, and cooks often do - common additions include okra, tomatoes, squash, roasted chilies, bell peppers, or cream, and lima beans are sometimes omitted in favor of black-eyed peas, kidney beans, green beans, and even edamame. Typically, maque choux is a side dish featuring corn, peppers, and tomatoes, but I include chicken for a summery main course.
ELOTE ASADO (GRILLED CORN, MEXICAN STREET-STYLE)
SERVES 6
If you can't find crema, mix 7 tablespoons of sour cream with 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk or cream.
6 medium ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup Mexican crema
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus 1 lime cut into
6 wedges, for serving
1 medium garlic clove, pressed or minced
3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
2 teaspoons pure chili powder, or more, to taste
Salt and black pepper
Prepare a fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the corn over medium-high heat, turning every 4 minutes or so, until the kernels are toasted, about 12 minutes. Off heat, brush the ears all over with butter. Return the corn to the heat and continue grilling and turning until well-browned, about 8 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the crema, lime juice, and garlic, and spread the crumbled cheese in a pie plate or other shallow dish. Transfer the grilled corn to a platter, brush each ear with about 1 tablespoon of the crema mixture, sprinkle with chili powder, salt, and black pepper to taste, roll in the cheese, pressing hard, and serve at once with lime wedges.
SIMPLE SUCCOTASH
SERVES 6
To substitute fresh shell beans such as cranberry or flageolet for the frozen limas here, buy 2 pounds, shell them, and simmer the beans in a little salted water until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
6 medium ears corn, shucked, with the kernels cut off
5 ears and reserved
3 slices bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper
10 ounces frozen lima beans, thawed (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Place the cut corn into a large bowl. Grate kernels from the remaining ear on the large holes of a box grater and add to the kernels.
In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning as necessary, to the desired doneness and drain on paper towels. Add the onion to the bacon fat, stir to coat, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cayenne, stir to mix, and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the corn, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, black pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of water, stir to mix, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender, about 12 minutes (add another tablespoon of water if the pan looks too dry at any point).
Add the lima beans, stir to mix, replace cover, and cook until limas are warmed through and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, scallions, and 2 tablespoons of parsley, stir to mix, and cook for 1 minute. Taste and correct the seasoning with additional salt and black pepper, if necessary, transfer to a serving dish, crumble bacon over the succotash, sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parsley, and serve at once.
CHICKEN MAQUE CHOUX
SERVES 6
1 chicken, about 3 pounds, cut into 8 serving pieces Salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 small cubanelle peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1/2 medium jalapeno chili pepper, seeded if desired, and minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped
6 medium ears corn, shucked, with the kernels cut off
5 ears and reserved
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped basil
Sprinkle chicken liberally with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces in pot, skin side down (do not crowd pan; cook in batches, if necessary), and cook without moving chicken until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook until second side is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a large plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot.
Return the pot to burner, add the onions and cubanelle and bell peppers, and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown a little, about 8 minutes. Add jalapeno, garlic, thyme, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cooked chicken with accumulated juices, covering the chicken with vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover pot, and simmer until chicken is just tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the cut kernels into a large bowl. Grate kernels from the remaining ear on the large holes of a box grater and add all of the corn to the pot with the chicken. Stir to mix, replace cover, and continue to simmer until corn is tender, about 15 minutes longer. Add the scallions and basil, stir to mix, taste and correct the seasoning with additional salt and black pepper, if necessary, and serve at once.
Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com. 