End of Corn Week (?)

As Corn Week draws to an end, I feel that I didn’t do it justice.  I have some recipes that I didn’t get to try out, and I still have more to say about corn.  At least the season continues for a while here, so I’ll continue to post corn recipes as I have time to try them out.

I leave you with this adorable photo of Duke enjoying some corn on the cob.

Freezing Corn, Part II

The other day, I wrote about how to freeze corn, but due to how busy I was with the surprise party, I didn’t freeze it then.  Today, I took advantage of the scorching hot weather outside by staying in and freezing two dozen ears of Butter and Sugar from my family’s farm.

I also tried out a new method that I saw Rachael Ray using on TV to cut the kernals off of the cob.  She took a large bowl, turned a small bowl with a flat bottom upside down inside it, and rested the cob on the small bowl.  When you cut the kernals off, they fall right into the big bowl (and not everywhere else).  I found that I could cut up about a dozen at a time before having to empty the bowl, and there were minimal kernals on the floor, counter, and me, which made me really happy that I tried this technique, because when I freeze corn, it’s usually a very messy project. 

Here’s a picture of the big bowl/little bowl set up.

And here’s a picture of the 7 bags (2 cups each) of corn kernals that I got!

Summer Garden Galette

Tonight, I made this Summer Garden Galette.  It’s like a vegetable pie, with layers of potatoes, onions, corn, tomatoes and Gruyere cheese.  I used a recipe from Country Home magazine, but I left out the red pepper, reduced the onions to 2 instead of 4, and I added 4 ears worth of corn kernals, in honor of Corn Week, of course.  I’m so happy there are leftovers!

Sauteed Corn with Basil

Finally, more time to devote to Corn Week!  Today I made this delicious sauteed corn.  It’s more elegant than eating corn on the cob, so it would make a nice side for a dinner party where you’re looking to avoid the mess.  We’re not fancy people, so none of our parties would exclude corn on the cob, but I tried it this way to change things up a bit.

• 4 ears of corn (plan on about 2 ears per person), kernals cut off the cob
• handful of basil leaves, chopped coarsely
• other herbs, such as parsley or chives, if desired
• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pan.  Toss in the corn and add the basil, other herbs, salt and pepper, stir to combine and cook about 2-3 minutes.  This is way better than a canned corn side dish, and cooks so fast.  The proportions really aren’t important, other than making sure there’s enough corn for the number of people you’re serving.  I had basil and parsley from my garden, so that’s what I used, but I’d like to try chives and see how they change the flavor.

Freezing Corn

I absolutely admit that I have been neglecting Corn Week.  I have a good reason, which I’ll write more about tomorrow (or possibly the day after)… I promise it’s a good one!

Anyway, just a quick post about how to freeze corn for now, then I promise that I have more extravagant recipes coming!  I was going to wait until I got a minute to freeze some corn, but it probably won’t be for a couple of weeks.  After Laura asked about freezing corn, I decided to make time to post about it.

Freezing corn is so simple!  You can do a lot or a little.  If you’re going to do it, I suggest doing a lot!

1. Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil.  Husk corn while waiting.  Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
2. Blanch corn in the boiling water for 1 minute. 
3. Remove corn and put in ice water bath.
4. Slice the corn off of the cob.  See Chile’s post for more details!
5. Place corn in freezer bags or canning jars, label, and freeze.

There, I told you it was easy!  You can stir some of this corn into stews or soups all winter long.  I like adding it to chicken pot pies, beef stew, or just warming it up in a pan as a side dish.  It is way better than store-bought canned corn!

More on what’s been keeping me so busy coming soon!!!

Microwaving Corn

As my second post for corn week, I’ve chosen to give my grandma’s recipe for cooking corn in the microwave.  For the last few years, I’ve lovingly referred to my grandma as “The Microwave Queen,” because she cooks everything in the microwave.  Not only is cooking corn in the microwave faster, but it also uses less energy than boiling it and there is less water wasted.  Not to mention, you don’t have to clean a big pot!

Here are the simple directions.  Husk two ears of corn and place them in a microwave safe dish.  Sprinkle a little bit of water over them to keep them from drying out.  Microwave for 4 minutes.  (Time will vary depending on your microwave).