Summer Spice Is So Nice

Native corn is here...and it's sweet and juicy and so very tender. We love to eat it on the cob, dripping with butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. But when we've had our fill, and want to mix it up a bit, we eat it this way--creamed, spiked with slivers of spicy roasted chiles, and smothered with cotija cheese.

You may think that it's a bit sacrilegious to eat Cape Cod corn prepared in such a manner, but I think it rather likes to be dressed up a bit. Everyone needs a little spice in her life every now and then, right? If you can't find cotija cheese in your market, look for a good quality salty feta cheese to crumble on top.






Smothered Mexican Street Corn

While you can use frozen corn to make this recipe, fresh, seasonal, and local corn tastes best. Look for cotija cheese and creme fraiche in the dairy section of your regular market, but in a pinch, feta cheese and sour cream can be substituted with good results.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients:

5 ears of corn, shucked, cleaned of silks and cut off the cob
3 fresh poblano chiles
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 cup cotija or feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

1. Roast poblano chiles over an open flame on a gas burner or under a broiler, using tongs to turn frequently, until the skin has blackened on all sides. Wrap in a paper towel and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Using the paper towel, rub the skins off the chiles, then remove the stem and seeds. Cut each chile into 1/2 inch strips, then again into 1/2 inch segments. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in corn, chiles and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until corn is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in creme fraiche and cook for 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

5. Pour into serving bowl and sprinkle with cotija cheese. Serve immediately.