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WAYS
WITH CORN
An Excerpt from It's Not Just Chicken Soup
by Eddy Robey
As a girl, I heard many conversations about Corn. Quite a
few people grew a bit in their back gardens, and would
enjoy telling how they had the water boiling on the
stove, before going to make their harvest.
That was the signal for a lively debate as to whether
Corn should be boiled or fried. Others would speak of a
Sunday drive, when they had bought the bounty from a
stand right next to a field. There was much said about
color. The general opinion being that white was for
people, and yellow for horses.
The joyous rituals of Summer, barbecues and beach picnics
always included Corn on the Cob. In Autumn, our national
feast, Thanksgiving Day, was enjoyed at a table
invariably decorated with a centerpiece containing ears
of multicolored Indian Corn. When Winter's
chill descended, we were warmed by a bowl of Corn
Chowder. In Spring, folks ate food accompanied by the
Corn Relish which had been made the previous year, and
discussed the preparation of their gardens for a good
crop.
Times are more busy now. The Corn we eat most often comes
from a supermarket, and may be frozen or tinned. It
matters not; our appetites are unabated. Corn is one of
the few vegetables that almost every child will eat. That
is a major consideration these days as most of us attempt
to increase our intake of fiber, and consume the
recommended number of servings for fruit and vegetables.
There is always something to be learned from tradition.
That is particularly true, when the tradition is as tasty
as in these classic methods for preparing our country's
favorite vegetable. Here are some recipes from yesterday,
which I hope will form the basis for tomorrow's memories.
Fried Corn
4 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 cup minced Onion
3 cups cut Corn, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup minced Parsley
2 teaspoons Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add the minced
onion, and cook, over medium heat until the onion is
browned. Add the cut corn, minced parsley, and 1/4 cup
water. Stir together, and cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly, for about 15 minutes, or until the grains are
soft. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve.
Corn Custard
3 cups cut Corn, fresh or frozen
4 Eggs, separated
2 cups Half-and-half or Nondairy creamer
3/4 cup Cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 tablespoon Sugar
Method
Cut slightly into the kernels of about 8 ears of corn,
then cut them from the cob, or pulse frozen Corn a couple
of times in the food processor. Do not puree the Corn.
Mix with the Egg Yolks, Half and Half, Cracker Crumbs,
Nutmeg, and Sugar. Beat the Egg Whites until they are
stiff, but not dry, and fold into the Corn mixture. If
you are in a hurry, you may just mix in the eggs, and
omit beating the whites separately.
Pour into a greased and floured 8 or 9-inch square glass
baking dish, and bake at 300 degrees for about and hour,
or until set. Serve.
Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
As many ears of corn as you wish
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram per ear
2 teaspoons Butter or Margarine per ear
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
For each ear of corn to be prepared, tear a sheet of
aluminum foil about 12 inches square. Spread each ear
with Butter or Margarine, and place it on the foil.
Sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and Marjoram, add 1 teaspoon
of water, and wrap tightly. You may prepare the recipe
ahead of time to this point.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425
degrees and bake the foil
packets for 30 minutes. Serve
Spoon Bread
2 1/2 cups Milk or Nondairy Creamer
3/4 cup Cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
4 Eggs, separated
Method
Mix the Cornmeal and Milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the
mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat,
stir in the Butter, and set aside to cool. When the
cooked mixture has cooled, blend in the Egg Yolks.
Beat the Egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold the
beaten Egg whites into the cooked mixture. Spoon the
batter into a greased and floured, 8 or 9-inch square
glass baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Serve
Corn Fritters
3 cups cut Corn, fresh or frozen
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup Cracker crumbs
3/4 cup Self-Rising Flour
Oil for frying
Method
Combine the Flour and Cracker Crumbs. Mix in the cut
Corn. Add the slightly beaten Eggs, and mix well. The
batter will be thick. Heat about a half-inch of Oil in a
skillet. Drop the Batter into the Oil, about a tablespoon
at a time. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and
brown the other side. Drain on paper towels, and serve
immediately
Scalloped Corn and Tomatoes
2 cups cut Corn, fresh or frozen
1 (1 pound) tin sliced Tomatoes, drained
1 medium Onion, diced
3/4 cup diced Celery
3 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 cup Cracker Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Melt the Butter in a skillet. Add the Celery and Onions.
Cook, over medium
heat until the Onions are slightly browned. Remove from
heat. Stir in Corn,
Tomatoes, Salt, and Pepper.
Lightly Oil an 8 or 9-inch square glass baking dish.
Place half the Corn
mixture in the dish, and top with half the Cracker
Crumbs. Repeat with the
other half of the Corn mixture, and remaining Crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for
about 30 minutes, or until browned. Serve
Corn Relish
2 1/2 cups fresh Corn
2 cups shredded Cabbage
2 Onions, chopped
1 sweet Red Bell Pepper; chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper; chopped
1 long seedless Cucumber, chopped
2 pounds peeled, chopped Tomatoes, fresh or tinned
1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Salt
2 teaspoons Celery Seed
2 teaspoons Mustard Seed
Method
Put all the ingredients into a 4-quart non-reactive pot.
Cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer,
uncovered, for
between 20 and 30 minutes, or until a bit thick. Chill
and store in
refrigerator. This will keep for about a month.
Italian Corn
3 cups of cut Corn, fresh or frozen
1 large Onion, minced
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Rosemary
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Pour the Olive Oil into a large skillet which has a lid.
Over a medium heat,
cook the Onion and Rosemary together, until the onion is
translucent. Add the
Corn, 1/4 cup Water, and stir. Cover, and cook over
medium heat, stirring
once, for 8 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper,
and Parmesan
Cheese, and stir. Serve
Eddy Robey M.A., Author of It's
Not Just Chicken Soup
. Like all Jewish mothers, I feed everyone in sight, and
have been at work in the kitchen for over 20 years.
Correspondence should be addressed to eddyrobey@aol.com
and
will be read as soon as the dishes are done. You can find
many of my recipes online at Gantseh
Megillah
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