Corny for Corn

In the past two weeks I’ve seen corn showing up at the farmers markets. The piles about three weeks ago seemed small, but just this past weekend – boom! Beautiful soft green husks gently harboring the sweet golden kernels inside. In some cases just picked and ready to eat right off the cob. Sweet and sticky, who could resist?

Fresh corn is one of those ingredients that can be prepared in multitudes of ways: baked, fried (as in pancakes), grilled, pureed, on the cob, off the cob … then in a grain form you can prepare it in cakes, muffins, cookies, as a crust, as a creamy polenta or grits … the list is endless!

I first want to mention one of my favorite snacks is popcorn, using coconut oil. I’m actually eating some right now as I write this post! I know what you’re thinking: “Didn’t I read somewhere that coconut oil is high is saturated fat?” As a matter of fact, you are right. However, coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides which are metabolized differently than fats in other oils.  Aside from being super tasty, coconut oil can help raise your good HDL levels and help strengthen your immune system. But lets get back to the topic at hand – while I nibble on my popcorn!


Corn has been cultivated for thousands of years. It dates back to almost 7000BC in Central America. It’s not entirely certain when the crop made it’s way North and East, but it seems that Christopher Columbus may have been instrumental in helping that journey.


In my research of corn this week I was surprised to find that it has many nutritional and health benefits. It’s high in fiber which helps lower your cholesterol levels. It’s shown to have positive effect for people suffering from diabetes and helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. It’s loaded with vitamins like A, B and C, not to mention Folate, Magnesium and Calcium. (Did I just hear the word "superfood?")


I have two simple applications for corn to share with you this week. First, another of my tasty cold soups, starring corn! There are many versions of Corn Soup to be made, but this one is my quick version - who needs to be in front of the stove on a hot day, right? I picked these ears of corn at the PepsiCo Market in Purchase from the Orchards of Conklin.

This recipe could not be easier. First you are going to remove the corn from the cob.

Then sweat your onions. A couple of notes: first try not to burn the onions and use white pepper. The only speckles in this soup should be from the basil at the end.

The cobs, corn and water go into your pot with the onions and simmer for about 10 minutes.

After you let it cool a bit, pull out the cobs and give them a little tap on the side of the pot to remove any corn that might be clinging.

Into the blender is goes for a nice spin.

After the soup is silky and smooth place it in a container, add the whole corn and then to the 'fridge.

Just before serving I like to add a little basil oil. This is another pretty presentation addition that is fast and easy to make, and will give your soup a "Wow!" factor.

            


Here are the steps: a quick blanch in boiling salted water, a shock in an ice bath, then puree with some lemon zest and olive oil.

My finished product!  (The recipe is below.) Just make little droplets of the oil and with a skewer drag the dots a bit. Then top with a little fresh basil. I'll be demoing this sweet herbaceous soup today (August 1) at the Irvington Farmers Market and again on Saturday (August 4) at the Hastings Farmers Market.


I'm also excited to tell you that my pal Chef Dave from Cafe Mirage in Port Chester will be including my soup in his box dinners this weekend and next weekend for the Lawnchair Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Check out the performance locations in Port Chester and Rye for dates and times. It's another great production this year, with many of my friends involved, including my fabulously talented hubby!


OK, so I said I had two applications ... here is the second. Let me first say that I honestly cannot remember exactly where this idea came from. I think it might have been on the original Martha Stewart show from many years ago. I think that only because I have literally been making my corn on the grill this way for many many years. It is absolutely the most fool proof way to do corn on the grill; rendering the cobs tender, steamed and delicious.

  

Basically all you need is a piece of heavy foil and a very wet paper towel. Then season your cob with whatever you desire. I add fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Fold up the paper towel first then the foil. Place it on the grill and rotate it every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes. I keep it around the edges of the grill while I'm cooking other things. The paper towel keeps it moist and steams the corn. All the seasonings cook right into the cob.

You can add a little more butter or seasoning, but I find that it's just perfect right out of the foil.


I hope you enjoy these simple and easy corn recipes this week. Next week I'm I'm very excited to tell you that I will be competing in a fun Throwdown Competition with my fellow blogger JL Fields, who writes I Eat Plants on Thursdays. Over the weekend we stopped by Amawalk Farm in Katonah and picked our ingredients: Bunching and Cipollini Onions.

I will have more info about the competition very soon. In the meantime, mark the date on your calendar: Saturday August 11, from 10:30-11:30 am at the John Jay Farm Market. I hope you can come by and cheer me on!

Buon Appetito!

Chef Maria’s Cold Corn Soup w/Basil Oil
Makes about 1½ quarts

SOUP
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, plus more
¼ teaspoon finely ground White Pepper
1 cup White Onion, ¼”dice
5 ears of Corn, shucked and cut in half

BASIL OIL
1 bunch Basil, leaves removed
Zest ½ Lemon
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Soup: Over medium heat sauté the onion with butter, olive oil, salt and pepper for 5 minutes, until translucent and soft. Meanwhile grate 4 ears of corn with a box grater in a large bowl (to catch all the juice), reserving the cobs. Cut the corn of the last cob and set that corn aside in a bowl.

Once the onions are soft add the grated corn, (scraping all the lovely juice with a spatula) into the pot, along with 4 cups of water and the cobs. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

After the soup has simmered for 10 minutes take it off the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cobs with tongs gently tapping them against the pot remove any corn still clinging on, before discarding them. Using an emulsion (stick) or regular blender process the soup until it’s smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add the reserved corn to the pot and let it cool completely. Place in refrigerator until completely cold.

Basil Oil: Blanche the herb leaves for 10 seconds in boiling salted water, cool immediately, and drain well. This step will keep your oil a nice bright green. Add all the ingredients to a mini food processor and puree until its blended well and the leaves are finely chopped.

Serve the soup ice cold. Just before serving drizzle the oil over the soup and top with a few finely sliced (chiffonade) basil leaves for garnish.

Over the Rainbow with Chard!

Well, it's happened .. the markets are officially overflowing with all things green - and I love it! There seems to be a moment in June where this magic takes place. Every farm table has huge piles leafy greens. Multitudes of lettuce leaves, scallions, onions, spinach, kale, and bright beautiful chard. In particular: rainbow chard and the colors are just stunning.

I picked up this bunch from the Amawalk Farm table at the John Jay Market last weekend. I was there doing my demo and realized I had not taken the chance to walk around  and get a few things, so right at the end of the market I was able to grab that last 2 bunches of these beauties! I also picked up some garlic scapes from my favorite table Gaia's Breath Farm.

You can find chard easily in the produce section at the market, but now is the time to pick some up at the farmers market. Everyone has it and you know it was just harvested before they head to the market, making it super fresh. Chard is a great source of Vitamins A, K and C. The flavor is similar to spinach and beet greens, but I think a little sweeter and distinct. If the leaves are big like the ones above I would recommend a light sauté. If smaller you can add to your salad raw. The stalks, especially the bigger ones are tough, so sautéing is a must.

That said, you typically sauté the chard, maybe adding a little garlic, onion and perhaps bacon? It seems to be the thing to do with it. Or, as I mention above, if the leaves are young and tender it's lovely in a salad. But I've had cold soup on my mind over the past week. It's been just so hot here lately and a cold soup is just about the most perfect thing to have for a light lunch. Something that will fill up up, but not weigh you down. So I got to thinking ... why not try to create a cold chard soup?

Precision is not necessary here ... a rough chop is all you need. It's all headed to the blender when finished. I tossed in my scapes and the stems of the chard just to take the edge off and soften them a bit in some extra virgin oil.

Then I add in the roughly chopped leaves to wilt them down a bit too. After which I set the pan aside to cool a little.

I also spotted some corn this week.  A few farmers have it early, so I grabbed a couple this weekend too. I was thinking that once the soup was done it was probably just going to be bright green, and a bit of color and crunch would probably be really nice. After taking the corn off the cob I was trying to decide whether I needed to give it a quick blanch, but as luck would have it my "taste-tester" hubby showed up and we decided raw was the way to go. Since the corn was tender and sweet we both liked it right off the cob; but you can decide as you make this recipe. If you think they need a little blanch just do it quickly: 30 seconds in boiling salted water then drain in a fine sieve running cold water over the kernels to stop the cooking.

I was looking for simple ingredients here, so I only used water as the base. I wanted the chard flavor to come through. The result was amazing: the color is just so vibrant and the flavor is similar to spinach but earthier and fresh. Corn adds a nice crunch to the texture of the soup.

I hope you like this slightly different take on chard. It's the perfect answer for a hot summer day.

Buon Appetito!

Maria’s Rainbow Chard Soup
Makes about 1 ½ quarts

2 bunches of rainbow chard, about 2 ½ lbs
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic scapes, about ¾ cup roughly chopped
2 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed from the cob
Kosher salt and freshly grated pepper

Chop off the stems just at the base of the leaf. From the top point of the stems chop them in ¼ inch pieces to make 1½ cups. Set them aside in a small bowl while you chop up the scapes. Add the chopped scapes to the bowl and then prep the leaves. Stacking 3 or 4 together roll them like cigar and slice them in to 1” strips. Set them aside. I ended up with 16 cups of leaves. Don’t panic if you have what seems to be a lot, remember, they are going to wilt down as they cook.

Over medium heat sauté the stems and scapes in the oil. Season with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until slightly soft.  Add the leaves to the pan along with 1 cup of warm water and a couple of pinches of salt.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes, tossing with your tongs. You want the chard to wilt slightly, but not burn. Set the pan aside to cool.

Once cool scrape all into a blender. (Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this in batches.) Make sure you get all the olive oil and rendered liquid too. Add 2 cups of water and start blending. I ended up adding a total of 5 cups of water, but take it slow and keep checking the consistency, until you get it to your liking. Season with a little more salt and pepper, blend again and check the flavor. 

Remove from blender to a container and add 2/3 of the corn.  Place in ‘fridge to cool completely, about 2 hours. Check the flavor after it’s cold and season if needed. To serve garnish with the remaining corn and a drizzle of olive oil.