It might sound sacrilegious to say this, but I think I get more excited every year the first time I see sweet corn than the first of the heirloom tomatoes. You see, like all geeky children, I had many food allergies as a child. One of these was tomatoes. Although I've pretty much outgrown this allergy, I still have many more fond memories of sweet corn than I do of tomatoes. Furthermore, last year I had an unfortunate food poisoning experience which coincided with a big heirloom tomato lunch - more on that later. At any rate, today, whilst shopping this morning at the Pearl Alley Farmer's market, I made a bee line when I saw the sweet corn. I rounded out my shopping with some chilis, garlic and green tomatoes, and rushed home to make lunch. Sweet corn simply cannot be made to wait. Especially when it's yellow or white/yellow. Listen up, folks: yellow sweet corn tastes more like corn. White tastes sweeter, but less corny. So let's start supporting the farmers who incorporate yellow into their crop. Just be sure to save some for me (I'm looking at you, pajama-clad Short North boys who rushed to Pistachio a few Saturdays ago to buy up all the canelé on my recommendation, don't think you flew under my radar).
Okay, now that we have all of that out of the way, here's how I enjoyed the sweet corn, chilis, and garlic for lunch. I rounded it out with a few onions purchased last Saturday, and, just to prove I am a total freak, I fried a CSA egg up and plopped it on top of the corn after its portrait was taken. Yes, I will put a fried egg on top of just about everything. Easy as pie. Or corn. Or whatever. This side dish would be really great with a good knob of butter, a hefty glug of heavy cream, and some good cheese - maybe Oakvale aged Gouda, for example - thrown in at the end (see Chef, you taught me well). However, I am trying to lighten things up around here at Chez Widow, so I opted for just the slice of bacon. The sacrifice!
Spicy Sauteed Sweet Corn for Summer Supping - serves 2
1 slice thick cut bacon, cut into lardons (again, you know how I feel about that thick-cut bacon from Blues Creek...) or 2 slices regular bacon. Please don't tell me you're buying bacon at the grocery store. It's one thing that's really, truly better when treated with great care.
4 nice medium hot chilis, or to taste, such as a hot banana, jalapeno, etc. This time of year, we only have green chilis, but as soon as the red ones are out, I'm totally there.
1 medium onion, preferably also from farm market, rough dice
4 cloves garlic, mashed in garlic press no matter what Mario Batali says. He hates food bloggers anyway, so who cares what he thinks
6 ears of corn, fresh from the farm market - yes, 6. Sweet corn is good for you. Cut from the cob, please see below
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt, freshly cracked black pepper
Place the bacon in a large skillet, I like to use nonstick, but it's up to you. Render until bacon is crisp over medium-high heat. If you have a lot of fat left, drain most of it off. Leave the bacon and a little fat in the pan and add the chilis and onions. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion begins to soften, and then add the garlic and the sweet corn. Stir to combine, turn heat to medium low, and cook for about 4 minutes until the garlic begins to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and turn heat to high. Cook until stock is reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adjust as necessary, and serve. With or without fried egg on top.
Note about cutting corn from cob: I discovered today that my sushi knife works very well for this task. Cutting the kernels should be very easy. If you aren't able to cut through like butter, you either have a crappy knife or are trying to cut too deep. Cut through the middle of the kernels, then turn your knife around and scrap the "milk" from the cob with the dull side of the knife. I've learned it is best to just cut the kernels from the cob directly over your saute pan, with the heat on low. For some reason, it seems to catch more of the kernels and keep them from jumping all over your kitchen.
